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How to Play Queens

Queens is a logic puzzle where you place queens on a colorful grid. The rules take 30 seconds to learn. The 9×9 grid will humble you anyway.

Ready to try?
Learn by doing - start with a small puzzle
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The Rules

1

One queen per row

Each horizontal row must contain exactly one queen. No more, no less.

2

One queen per column

Each vertical column must also contain exactly one queen.

3

One queen per colored block

Each colored block (the connected areas of the same color) must have exactly one queen.

4

Queens cannot touch

No two queens can be adjacent—not horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Queens don't share borders. It's the rules.

Controls

👆 Touch

TapCycle cell state
Long pressToggle queen
SwipeMark multiple X

🖱️ Mouse

ClickCycle cell state
Right-clickToggle queen
DragMark multiple X

⌨️ Keyboard

ArrowsNavigate
SpaceCycle state
Q / XQueen / Mark
Z / HUndo / Hint

Strategy Tips

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Start with elimination. Mark cells with X where queens definitely can't go. This often reveals where queens must be placed.

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Look for singletons. If a row, column, or block has only one valid cell remaining, that's where the queen must go.

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Use the corners. Corner cells and edge positions are often more constrained, making them good starting points.

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Think about adjacency. When you place a queen, immediately consider which cells it eliminates in neighboring rows and columns.

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Don't guess. Every puzzle has exactly one solution—and it can be found through logic. Stuck? That's what hints are for.

Cell States

Empty
Unknown
✕
Marked
No queen here
♛
Queen
Placed here

Auto-Markers

When you place a queen, the game automatically marks impossible cells with X. This saves time and helps you focus on the logic.

✓Same row and column are marked
✓All diagonal neighbors are marked
✓Rest of the block is marked (one queen per block)

You can toggle auto-markers off in settings if you prefer manual marking.

Think you've got it?

Prove it with an 8×8. Or pick any size from 4×4 to 14×14 and work your way up.