Completing partial Latin squares with two filled rows and three filled columns

Abstract

Consider a partial Latin square $P$ where the first two rows and first three columns are completely filled, and every other cell of $P$ is empty. It has been conjectured that all such partial Latin squares of order at least $8$ are completable. Based on a technique by Kuhl and McGinn we describe a framework for completing partial Latin squares in this class. Moreover, we use our method for proving that all partial Latin squares from this family, where the intersection of the nonempty rows and columns form a Latin rectangle with three distinct symbols, is completable.