Triple look-ahead

Test a cell; if it forces three in a row, it’s the other animal.

What is triple look-ahead?

Try one animal in a cell and follow the forced moves along that line. If they collide with a rule, the cell is the other animal. Look-ahead is still local to a single line, so it stays quick. The app's hints name it when it's the cheapest move available; on the harder tiers it appears constantly.

How to spot it fast

Use it when a line has several empty cells and no pair, gap or count is ready. Pick a cell next to the most crowded stretch, try one animal, and follow the bookends.

Common mistake

Following the test into other lines. Look-ahead stays inside one line; if you need the whole board, that's chain reasoning.

Practise it

Unlimited puzzles let you drill any size. Other techniques: Pair → bookends · Gap fill · Count exhausted · Count pressure · Links = and × · Chain reasoning · hard puzzles.