Queens Grid

Daily Queens Puzzle — September 26, 2026

Saturday · 12×12 · Tough · Hard · 18 deductions

12 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 12x12 board split into 12 colour regions, needing 12 queens: one per row, one per column, one per region, none touching. Regions run from 1 to 54 cells.

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

How this board is solved

Solving this 12x12 board takes 18 deductions and needs expert techniques, including testing a queen, drawing on 9 distinct techniques. The first queen you can place for certain is D7. The queens resolve in the order D7 → B12 → I11 → L8 → K10 → E4 → G5 → A6 → C1 → F2 → J3 → H9. Every step follows by logic, so you never have to guess.

Techniques this board needs

Full solution, step by step (18 deductions)
  1. Single-cell region essential

    Single-cell region. This colour covers only one cell, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at D7.

  2. Single-cell region essential

    Single-cell region. This colour covers only one cell, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at B12.

  3. Forced queen essential

    Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at I11.

  4. Two-region group lock intermediate

    Two-region group lock. 2 colours fit in only 2 columns, reserving them. This reasons over column 12 and column 11. Rules out L1, L2, L3, K1, K2, K3, K4, K8.

  5. Split-line region lock intermediate

    Split-line region lock. 3 colours fit in only 3 columns, reserving them. This reasons over column 1 and column 3 and column 5. Rules out A8, A9, A10, C2, C9, C10, E2, E3 and 3 more.

  6. Shared diagonal neighbour intermediate

    Shared diagonal neighbour. Every remaining option for this colour touches these cells, so they are out. Rules out G2.

  7. Lines use the same regions intermediate

    Lines use the same regions. 2 rows can only be filled by 2 colours, using them up. This reasons over row 9 and row 10. Rules out H5, F6, G6, H6, F8, G8, H8, J8.

  8. Last cell in a line essential

    Last cell in a line. Row 8 has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at L8. This reasons over row 8.

  9. Forced queen essential

    Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at K10.

  10. 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 10. Rules out F3, F4, G3, H1, H2, H3.

  11. Ruled out either way expert

    Ruled out either way. These cells are ruled out no matter where this colour's queen goes. Rules out E1.

  12. Last cell in a line essential

    Last cell in a line. Column 5 has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at E4. This reasons over column 5.

  13. Forced queen essential

    Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at G5.

  14. Forced queen essential

    Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at A6.

  15. Forced queen essential

    Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at C1.

  16. Forced queen essential

    Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at F2.

  17. Forced queen essential

    Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at J3.

  18. Forced queen essential

    Forced queen. This colour has one legal cell left, so its queen goes there. Place a queen at H9.

Answer: queens at D7, B12, I11, L8, K10, E4, G5, A6, C1, F2, J3, H9.