Daily Queens Puzzle — April 28, 2026
9 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 9x9 board split into 9 colour regions, needing 9 queens: one per row, one per column, one per region, none touching. Regions run from 1 to 23 cells.
The daily board is the same for everyone and gets harder as the week goes on: Tuesday is set to easy. Every daily puzzle has one solution and needs no guessing.
How this board is solved
Solving this 9x9 board takes 17 deductions and needs the intermediate group-lock techniques, drawing on 6 distinct techniques. The first queen you can place for certain is B2. The queens resolve in the order B2 → C8 → I9 → A7 → G5 → H3 → D4 → E6 → F1. Every step follows by logic, so you never have to guess.
Techniques this board needs
- Single-cell region
- Region line lock
- Line uses one region
- Last cell in a line
- Forced queen
- Shared diagonal neighbour
Full solution, step by step (17 deductions)
- Single-cell region essential
Single-cell region. This colour covers only one cell, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at B2.
- Region line lock essential
Region line lock. This colour must use row 1, so nothing else can. This reasons over row 1. Rules out H1, I1.
- Region line lock essential
Region line lock. This colour must use column 4, so nothing else can. This reasons over column 4. Rules out D1, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9.
- Region line lock essential
Region line lock. This colour must use row 5, so nothing else can. This reasons over row 5. Rules out A5, C5, E5, H5, I5.
- Line uses one region intermediate
Line uses one region. 1 columns can only be filled by 1 colours, using them up. This reasons over column 1. Rules out C4, C6, C7, C9.
- Last cell in a line essential
Last cell in a line. Column 3 has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at C8. This reasons over column 3.
- Forced queen essential
Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at I9.
- Last cell in a line essential
Last cell in a line. Row 7 has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at A7. This reasons over row 7.
- Line uses one region intermediate
Line uses one region. 1 columns can only be filled by 1 colours, using them up. This reasons over column 8. Rules out E3, F3, F4, G3, G4.
- Shared diagonal neighbour intermediate
Shared diagonal neighbour. Every remaining option for this colour touches these cells, so they are out. Rules out E4.
- Region line lock essential
Region line lock. This colour must use row 6, so nothing else can. This reasons over row 6. Rules out H6.
- Shared diagonal neighbour intermediate
Shared diagonal neighbour. Every remaining option for this colour touches these cells, so they are out. Rules out F5.
- Forced queen essential
Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at G5.
- Forced queen essential
Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at H3.
- Forced queen essential
Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at D4.
- Forced queen essential
Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at E6.
- Forced queen essential
Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at F1.
Answer: queens at B2, C8, I9, A7, G5, H3, D4, E6, F1.