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Three white soldiers and three black crows, explained simply

Three big candles in a row, each closing near its extreme. Three white soldiers show buyers pushing steadily; three black crows show sellers doing the same. The hard part isn't spotting them. It's what to do next.

Beginner guide · 6-minute read · Updated 2026-10-21

The exact shape

Three white soldiers ("white" is the old word for green candles) are 3 green candles in a row where:

1. Each one has a long body, bigger than the recent average.
2. Each one opens inside the body of the candle before it (or near its close).
3. Each one closes higher than the last, near its own high. Short upper tails.

Three black crows are the mirror: 3 long red candles, each opening inside the last body, each closing lower and near its own low.

Three white soldiers in numbers

An example on a daily chart:

Check it:

• Long bodies: 1.20, 1.40 and 1.40.
• Each opens inside the last body: 31.00 is between 30.00 and 31.20. 32.20 is between 31.00 and 32.40. ✓
• Each closes near its high: upper tails of only 0.10 each. ✓
• Higher closes: 31.20 → 32.40 → 33.60. ✓

What it says about buyers and sellers

One strong green candle can be a single burst. Three in a row is different.

Each day, sellers had a chance to take the gains back. Each day opened a little lower than the close, so sellers did try. And each day buyers pushed through and closed near the top.

That's steady pressure, not a spike. Three black crows tell the same story for sellers.

Where it matters

After a fall, at a floor. Three soldiers off a support zone, after a long drop, can mark the turn. Watch for the soldiers to break above the last place price turned down. That builds the first higher high (see higher highs and higher lows).

Out of a range. Three soldiers that close above a range's ceiling, one after another, are a strong breakout. Each body close past the level adds to the case.

Late in a long run: careful. Three soldiers after the price has already climbed for weeks may be the last burst of buying, not the start of something. The same goes for three crows after a long fall.

The real problem: chasing

Here's what nobody explains. By the time you can see three soldiers, the move has already happened.

In our example, price went from 30.00 to 33.60 in 3 days. A stop below the pattern (29.90) is now 3.70 away from the close. That's a wide stop, which means a small size. And a stretched market often pauses or pulls back right after a run like this.

So the question isn't "should I buy now?" It's "where would a calm entry be?"

Confirmation: the next body close, and the pullback

The pattern needs no more proof that buyers were strong. It needs proof they're still in control. Two common checks:

1. The next candle's body holds. It closes above the middle of soldier 3's body (above 32.90 here). A deep close back into soldier 3 says the push is fading.
2. Wait for a pullback. Many traders wait for price to dip back toward soldier 2 or soldier 1, then look for a bullish candle there with a body close back up. The pullback gives a closer stop.

For three black crows, flip it: the next body closes below the middle of crow 3, or price bounces back up and then closes lower again.

Where the stop goes

You have two places, and both are honest:

• Below the whole pattern: under soldier 1's low (29.90). The idea is wrong if all 3 days get erased. Very wide.
• Below a pullback low: if you wait for a dip to 32.00 and a candle closes back up from there, the stop goes under that dip, say 31.80.

Compare them. Entering at 33.60 with a 29.80 stop is 3.80 of risk. Entering at 32.60 on a pullback with a 31.80 stop is 0.80. Same idea, a much tighter stop, so a larger size for the same fixed loss. Run both in the position size calculator and you'll see why waiting can make the plan cleaner. Read more in how to set a stop loss.

When it fails

It fails often. That's why the stop comes first.

A failed set of soldiers usually looks like this: the next candle opens and sells off hard, closing deep inside soldier 3, and price keeps falling. Often it's because the soldiers ran straight into a resistance ceiling on the bigger chart.

So check the bigger chart first. Three soldiers pushing into a big ceiling are walking toward a wall.

Common mistakes

• Buying the close of soldier 3 with no plan. The stop is far away, and the market is stretched.
• Counting small candles. Three little green candles are not soldiers. The bodies must be long.

Try it today

1. Open a daily chart and start bar replay a year back.
2. Find 5 sets of three soldiers or three crows. Check each one against the 3 rules.
3. For each, write two plans: enter at the close of candle 3, or wait for a pullback. Write both stops.
4. Step forward and see which plan got a calmer entry. Log them in your trading journal.

Questions