Queens Grid

Daily Queens Puzzle — May 18, 2026

Monday · 8×8 · Gentle · Medium · 11 deductions

8 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 8x8 board split into 8 colour regions, needing 8 queens: one per row, one per column, one per region, none touching. Regions run from 1 to 14 cells.

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

How this board is solved

Solving this 8x8 board takes 11 deductions and needs the intermediate group-lock techniques, drawing on 5 distinct techniques. The first queen you can place for certain is A2. The queens resolve in the order A2 → B7 → D8 → C4 → F6 → E3 → H5 → G1. Every step follows by logic, so you never have to guess.

Techniques this board needs

Full solution, step by step (11 deductions)
  1. Single-cell region essential

    Single-cell region. This colour covers only one cell, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at A2.

  2. Forced queen essential

    Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at B7.

  3. 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 1. Rules out F3, G3.

  4. Shared diagonal neighbour intermediate

    Shared diagonal neighbour. Every remaining option for this colour touches these cells, so they are out. Rules out C5.

  5. Forced queen essential

    Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at D8.

  6. Forced queen essential

    Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at C4.

  7. Region line lock essential

    Region line lock. This colour must use column 5, so nothing else can. This reasons over column 5. Rules out E1, E6.

  8. Forced queen essential

    Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at F6.

  9. Forced queen essential

    Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at E3.

  10. Forced queen essential

    Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at H5.

  11. Forced queen essential

    Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at G1.

Answer: queens at A2, B7, D8, C4, F6, E3, H5, G1.