Middlegame

Local before global. Prioritize patterns that only look at nearby cells. Bookends, Sandwich, Flip, and Mirror are instant to spot from a small cluster. Sweep requires counting symbols across the entire row, which costs more attention. Reach for it only after local patterns come up empty.

Basic before compound. Exhaust basic patterns across the whole board before hunting for compound ones. Basic patterns are instant to recognize; compound patterns cost more mental effort.

Cascade awareness. Every time you place a symbol, immediately check the intersecting row or column. A single placement often triggers a chain of further deductions. This is where speed comes from.

Keep a candidate list. Hold a short mental list of rows and columns worth scanning next. Each new cell you reveal adds its intersecting line to this list. When you scan a line and find nothing deducible, purge it. Only revisit it when a new cell appears there. Rescanning undeducible lines is the single biggest time sink.