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Advanced clue

These two values are a fixed distance apart

Also known in the clue library as Exact Difference (quantitative).

exact-difference
Clue pattern
A and B differ by an exact gap on an ordered scale.
What to mark first
Rule out values that cannot possibly fit the required gap.
Common mistake
Treating the gap as approximate instead of exact.
Mini-example
Mina finished exactly two places after Theo.
Print-book tip
List legal pairs for the gap, then strike them out as other clues land.

When and where this clue pays off

Two questions matter more than the pattern itself: does this clue give you everything now, or only later — and does it become a mark on the board, or a note you have to keep separately?

Builds as the board fills in

The impossible values go first, but the surviving pairs keep shrinking as the ordered category narrows.

Marks the board directly

Both the eliminations and the eventual pairing show up as marks.

Reading the clue is half the job. These are the methods that turn it into board progress.

Put it to work

See this clue type on a live board, or go back and browse the rest of the library.