Proven Sudoku
VWXYZ-Wing
Also called Five-cell wing.
New to this shorthand? How to read a sudoku grid explains r4c7, houses, candidates and the rest.
What it means
The same idea stretched to five squares and five numbers. One number is loose and the rest are locked in place. Bigger, rarer, and the reasoning does not change.
The exact rule, for stronger players
The rule, stated exactly: The five-cell, five-digit extension of the WXYZ-Wing, with one restricted common candidate.
What it removes: Remove the restricted common candidate from cells seeing all its positions inside the set.
Why it works: As for the WXYZ-Wing, one size larger. It is an almost-locked set of five cells across five digits.
Worked examples
None yet. This pattern does not turn up in our daily boards, so there is no real example to show. We would rather wait than draw a fake one.
Learn these first
- WXYZ-WingFour squares holding four numbers between them.
Related wings
- W-WingTwo squares far apart hold the same two numbers.
- XY-WingThree squares, each with two numbers left.
- XYZ-WingLike the XY-Wing, but the middle square has three numbers instead of two.
- Bent Naked SubsetA group of squares bent across two rows, columns or boxes.
- Letter-named wings (M, S, L, H, Split, Hybrid, Local)Short chains that people gave letters to.
How often does it come up?
Our rough estimate: rare, and almost always easier to find as an ALS. Included because the name appears in solver output.