How to Play Queens: The Complete Beginner's Guide

If you've seen friends sharing their Queens solve times on LinkedIn or social media and wondered what it's all about, you're in the right place. The Queens puzzle is a logic game that's simple to learn but deeply satisfying to master. Here's everything you need to know to get started.

What Is the Queens Puzzle?

Queens is a grid-based logic puzzle. You're given a square grid (commonly 7x7 to 9x9) divided into colored regions. Your job is to place queens on the grid following four rules:

1. One queen per row — Each row gets exactly one queen.
2. One queen per column — Each column gets exactly one queen.
3. One queen per color region — Each colored section gets exactly one queen.
4. No touching — Queens can't be adjacent to each other, even diagonally.

Every puzzle has exactly one solution, and you can always reach it through logical deduction. No guessing required.

Where Did Queens Come From?

The Queens puzzle is inspired by the classic N-Queens problem in computer science, which asks how to place N queens on an NxN chessboard so none threaten each other. LinkedIn popularized the modern version by adding colored regions and simplifying the diagonal rule, making it accessible as a quick daily puzzle.

Your First Puzzle: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Let's walk through how to approach a Queens puzzle from scratch.

Step 1: Scan for Small Regions

Look at the colored regions on the grid. Find the smallest ones — regions with just one, two, or three cells. A one-cell region is a guaranteed queen placement. Start there.

Step 2: Place and Eliminate

After placing a queen, mentally (or physically) mark its entire row and column as used. Also mark all cells directly adjacent to it (including diagonals) as unavailable. These cells can't hold any other queen.

Step 3: Look for Forced Placements

After elimination, check if any row, column, or region now has only one valid cell remaining. If so, place a queen there. This often creates a cascade — one placement leads to another.

Step 4: Repeat Until Solved

Continue the cycle of scanning, placing, and eliminating. In most beginner puzzles, this straightforward approach will solve the entire grid without any advanced techniques.

Tips for Getting Faster

• Start with the most constrained areas. Small regions, short rows (those with many eliminated cells), and corners are your friends.
• Don't guess. If you're unsure, keep eliminating. The answer will become clear.
• Practice on small grids. 5x5 and 6x6 puzzles build your pattern recognition without overwhelming you.
• Use marking. Many Queens apps let you mark cells with X to track eliminations. Use this feature.

Ready to Play?

Head to our daily puzzle to try today's grid, or browse our puzzle archive to practice on any grid size. Good luck!