Daily Queens Puzzle — January 29, 2026

Thursday · 10×10 · Tricky · Hard · 15 deductions

10 queens left to place.

Tap once to rule a cell out, twice to place a queen. Right-click marks an exclusion directly. Arrow keys move between cells.

A 10x10 board split into 10 colour regions, needing 10 queens: one per row, one per column, one per region, none touching. Regions run from 1 to 22 cells.

The daily board is the same for everyone and gets harder as the week goes on: Thursday is set to tricky. Every daily puzzle has one solution and needs no guessing.

How this board is solved

Solving this 10x10 board takes 15 deductions and needs expert techniques, including testing a queen, drawing on 7 distinct techniques. The first queen you can place for certain is A7. The queens resolve in the order A7 → H9 → B5 → F6 → E1 → G2 → I4 → D3 → C8 → J10. Every step follows by logic, so you never have to guess.

Techniques this board needs

Full solution, step by step (15 deductions)

Single-cell region essential
Single-cell region. This colour covers only one cell, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at A7.
Single-cell region essential
Single-cell region. This colour covers only one cell, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at H9.
Forced queen essential
Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at B5.
Region line lock essential
Region line lock. This colour must use row 1, so nothing else can. This reasons over row 1. Rules out C1, D1, G1, I1, J1.
Line uses one region intermediate
Line uses one region. 1 rows can only be filled by 1 colours, using them up. This reasons over row 10. Rules out I6, J6, F8, J8.
Line uses one region intermediate
Line uses one region. 1 rows can only be filled by 1 colours, using them up. This reasons over row 8. Rules out C3, D6, E6.
Shared diagonal neighbour intermediate
Shared diagonal neighbour. Every remaining option for this colour touches these cells, so they are out. Rules out E2, F2.
Ruled out either way expert
Ruled out either way. These cells are ruled out no matter where this colour's queen goes. Rules out F3, F4, G6.
Last cell in a line essential
Last cell in a line. Row 6 has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at F6. This reasons over row 6.
Forced queen essential
Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at E1.
Last cell in a line essential
Last cell in a line. Column 7 has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at G2. This reasons over column 7.
Last cell in a line essential
Last cell in a line. Column 9 has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at I4. This reasons over column 9.
Forced queen essential
Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at D3.
Forced queen essential
Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at C8.
Forced queen essential
Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at J10.

Answer: queens at A7, H9, B5, F6, E1, G2, I4, D3, C8, J10.