How many Sudoku puzzles combine Hidden Pair and Naked Triplet?

4,518 puzzles in the Precision Sudoku library have Hidden Pair and Naked Triplet as their two hardest required techniques (beyond singles), out of a library of 65,284 solver-verified puzzles.

Are a Naked Triplet and a Hidden Pair ever the same thing?

Frequently. In a unit with five unsolved cells, a Naked Triplet in three of them forces the other two to hold the remaining two digits, which is a Hidden Pair. The two techniques then reach the same eliminations from opposite ends of the unit.

Which frame should I use when both are available?

Whichever is cheaper on the grid in front of you. If the unit has several sparse cells, the naked reading is faster to see. If every cell is crowded with candidates, counting where each digit can go will get there sooner.

Hidden Pair + Naked Triplet Sudoku Puzzles

Every puzzle below has Hidden Pair and Naked Triplet as its two hardest required moves, verified by a solver — 4,518 of the 65,284 puzzles in our library match. Rusty on either one? Drill them separately first: Hidden Pair practice · Naked Triplet practice.

Why these two appear together

This pairing puts the naked and hidden forms side by side in one grid, and the point of it is that they are frequently two descriptions of the same fact. In a unit with five unsolved cells, three cells holding three digits between them means the remaining two cells hold the other two digits — a Naked Triplet and a Hidden Pair, identical information reached from opposite directions.

That equivalence is worth internalising because the two searches cost different amounts depending on the position. Naked patterns are found by reading sparse cells, which is fast when the grid is well pruned. Hidden patterns are found by counting digit homes, which works even when every cell is crowded. Being fluent in both means you can pick whichever is cheaper on the grid in front of you.

These puzzles are chosen so that neither technique alone is sufficient, so you will end up practising the switch between the two frames rather than settling into one.

Curated Hidden Pair + Naked Triplet puzzles

Practice puzzle #1 — 25 givens · needs Naked Single, Hidden Single, Naked Triplet, Hidden Pair
Practice puzzle #2 — 23 givens · needs Naked Single, Hidden Single, Naked Triplet, Hidden Pair
Practice puzzle #3 — 25 givens · needs Naked Single, Hidden Single, Naked Triplet, Hidden Pair
Practice puzzle #4 — 25 givens · needs Naked Single, Hidden Single, Naked Triplet, Hidden Pair
Practice puzzle #5 — 23 givens · needs Naked Single, Hidden Single, Naked Triplet, Hidden Pair
Practice puzzle #6 — 22 givens · needs Naked Single, Hidden Single, Naked Triplet, Hidden Pair
Practice puzzle #7 — 26 givens · needs Naked Single, Hidden Single, Naked Triplet, Hidden Pair
Practice puzzle #8 — 25 givens · needs Naked Single, Hidden Single, Naked Triplet, Hidden Pair
Practice puzzle #9 — 24 givens · needs Naked Single, Hidden Single, Naked Triplet, Hidden Pair
Practice puzzle #10 — 26 givens · needs Naked Single, Hidden Single, Naked Triplet, Hidden Pair
Practice puzzle #11 — 24 givens · needs Naked Single, Hidden Single, Naked Triplet, Hidden Pair
Practice puzzle #12 — 24 givens · needs Naked Single, Hidden Single, Naked Triplet, Hidden Pair

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Hidden Pair + Naked Triplet FAQ

How many Sudoku puzzles combine Hidden Pair and Naked Triplet?: 4,518 puzzles in the Precision Sudoku library have Hidden Pair and Naked Triplet as their two hardest required techniques (beyond singles), out of a library of 65,284 solver-verified puzzles.
Are a Naked Triplet and a Hidden Pair ever the same thing?: Frequently. In a unit with five unsolved cells, a Naked Triplet in three of them forces the other two to hold the remaining two digits, which is a Hidden Pair. The two techniques then reach the same eliminations from opposite ends of the unit.
Which frame should I use when both are available?: Whichever is cheaper on the grid in front of you. If the unit has several sparse cells, the naked reading is faster to see. If every cell is crowded with candidates, counting where each digit can go will get there sooner.