How do you solve a Queens puzzle?

Start by looking for regions, rows, or columns where a queen can only go in one cell. Mark cells that are impossible with an X. Use elimination: once a queen is placed, cross out all cells in its row, column, and all adjacent cells. Repeat until every region has its queen.

Is the Queens puzzle the same as the N-Queens problem?

They are related but different. The classic N-Queens problem places N non-attacking queens on a chessboard using standard chess rules (same row, column, or diagonal line). The Queens puzzle adds colored regions (each needing exactly one queen) and uses adjacency instead of full diagonal lines, making it a different kind of logic challenge.

What grid sizes are available?

Five sizes: 5×5, 6×6, 7×7, 8×8, and 9×9. Larger grids have more regions and require more complex deductions to solve.

What do the difficulty levels change?

Easy puzzles have more forced moves early on, so you can make steady progress. Medium puzzles require occasional multi-step reasoning. Hard puzzles demand careful elimination chains and may have fewer obvious starting points.

Play Queens Puzzle Online

Q: What is the Queens puzzle?

The Queens puzzle is a logic game played on a colored grid. You must place exactly one queen in each row, column, and colored region. No two queens may be adjacent — not even diagonally. The puzzle has a unique solution that can be found through pure logical deduction.

Place exactly one queen in each row, column, and colored region — no two queens may touch, not even diagonally. Pure logic, zero guesswork.

Crowns

0 / 5

Errors

Time

0:00

Tap to mark X, tap again for queen

Queens puzzle game — place one queen per row, column, and colored region on the board

What Is the Queens Puzzle?

The Queens puzzle is a logic placement game that has surged in popularity thanks to its elegant rules and satisfying “aha” moments. The board is an N×N grid divided into N colored regions. Your task: place exactly one queen in each row, each column, and each colored region, with the constraint that no two queens may touch each other — not even diagonally.

Despite its simple rules, the Queens puzzle demands careful logical deduction. Every puzzle on this page has a unique solution that can be reached without guessing.

Rules

One queen per row: Each row contains exactly one queen (or K queens in multi-crown mode).
One queen per column: Each column contains exactly one queen (or K queens in multi-crown mode).
One queen per region: Each colored region contains exactly one queen (or K queens in multi-crown mode).
No touching: No two queens may be adjacent horizontally, vertically, or diagonally (the eight surrounding cells must be queen-free).

How to Solve

1. Look for Small Regions

Regions with fewer cells have fewer possibilities. A region with only one or two cells is the easiest starting point — the queen must go in one of those cells.

2. Eliminate by Row, Column & Adjacency

Once you place a queen, mark every cell in its row, column, and all eight surrounding cells with an X (tap once to mark X, tap again to promote to queen). This dramatically reduces the options for neighbouring regions.

3. Look for Forced Placements

After elimination, check each row, column, and region. If only one cell remains available, the queen must go there. Repeat this process — each placement often forces another.

4. Use Cross-Region Logic

On harder puzzles, consider which cells in a region are still valid. If all remaining cells in a region fall in a single row or column, that row or column is “claimed” by that region — no other queen can use it. This technique unlocks puzzles that seem stuck.

Grid Sizes & Crown Modes

The classic 1-crown mode offers five grid sizes from 5×5 to 9×9. For an extra challenge, try 2-crown mode (8×8 and 9×9) where you place two queens per row, column, and region, or 3-crown mode (12×12) where you place three. The no-touching rule still applies — no two queens may be adjacent.

5×5 – 9×9 (1 crown): Classic mode, one queen per row/column/region.
8×8 – 9×9 (2 crowns): Place two queens per row, column, and region.
12×12 (3 crowns): Place three queens per row, column, and region.

Queens vs N-Queens

The classic N-Queens problem in computer science asks you to place N queens on an N×N chessboard so no two attack each other along rows, columns, or full diagonals. The Queens puzzle adds colored regions (each needing one queen) and replaces the full-diagonal constraint with simple adjacency (the eight surrounding cells). This creates a very different solving experience focused on region-based deduction rather than diagonal counting.

Frequently Asked Questions

A logic game on a colored grid. Place one queen per row, column, and color region, with no two queens touching (even diagonally). Each puzzle has a unique solution.

Click a cell to cycle through: empty → X-mark → queen → empty. Right-click (long-press on mobile) to directly toggle an X-mark. X-marks are helpers — they remind you a cell is eliminated.

No. Every puzzle generated here has a unique solution reachable through pure logical deduction. If you feel stuck, look for regions, rows, or columns with only one valid possibility left.

No two queens can be in directly adjacent cells in any direction — up, down, left, right, or any of the four diagonals. If you think of the eight cells surrounding a queen, none of them may contain another queen.

Both are constraint-satisfaction puzzles, but Queens is a placement game (put one item per zone) rather than a number-filling game. The adjacency rule adds a spatial dimension that Sudoku doesn’t have, and the colored regions create visual patterns that guide your deductions.

More Puzzle Games

Enjoy Queens? Try these other free puzzles:

Sudoku

Fill a 9×9 grid with digits using logic alone.

Nonograms

Reveal hidden pictures by filling grid cells.