Queens

New to the format? The full rules take two minutes to learn: read the step-by-step guide with a worked example on the how to play queens puzzles page, then come back for today’s puzzle.

• Count colors before rows. If every remaining cell of a color sits inside one row, that row’s queen must be that color, and the color can be crossed out everywhere else.
• Watch for color pairs. When two colors can only live in two particular rows, those rows are spoken for; every other color’s cells in those two rows can be crossed out.
• Use the no-touch rule aggressively. A queen knocks out its eight neighboring cells immediately, so a queen near the middle claims far more territory than an edge queen.
• Think in reservations. A row with a queen is done: cross out all of its remaining cells, then re-check every color that appeared there.
• Never place a queen to "try it out". Every board here is forced step by step; if no line or color argument moves you forward, look at the intersections you have not re-checked yet.

Daily queens puzzles grow through the week: Monday and Tuesday serve 6×6 grids that teach the counting habits, Wednesday to Friday move to 7×7 with longer elimination chains, and the weekend brings 8×8 boards where the color shapes wander across half the grid.

Unlimited mode lets you choose the Star Battle size directly: 6×6 easy queens puzzles for a two-minute solve, 7×7 medium grids for the daily sweet spot, and 8×8 hard grids for a proper deduction session.

Every daily queens puzzle can be printed as a clean worksheet with the color regions rendered as labeled shades, room to mark queens and crosses, and the full solution at the bottom of the sheet. Print today’s grid or pick any past date from the archive.

Print today’s queens puzzles or pick any date from the archive to print an older puzzle.

One puzzle a day not enough? Unlimited queens puzzles generates fresh grids on demand, and the daily archive holds every past puzzle since launch day.