Queens puzzle answer — September 16, 2026 (Hard)
Stuck on the September 16, 2026 hard Queens puzzle? Here's the complete solution to the 8×8 board — every queen placed with pure logic, one deduction at a time, no guessing. Step through it below, or brush up on the rules first.
The final answer
One queen per row, per column, and per color region — and no two queens touching, even diagonally.
Full written solution — all 15 steps
- The red region has only one square left — the queen must go there (row 1, column 2).
- The yellow region has only one square left — the queen must go there (row 2, column 7).
- All of the teal region's remaining squares sit in column 6, so that column's other squares can be crossed off.
- Column 1's remaining squares all fall in the orange region, so the region's squares outside column 1 can be crossed off.
- The green and blue regions must take the queens in rows 3 and 4 between them, so other regions' squares in those rows can be crossed off.
- The teal and tan regions must take the queens in rows 7 and 8 between them, so other regions' squares in those rows can be crossed off.
- Trying a queen at row 3, column 5 (the blue region) leads to a dead end, so that square can be crossed off.
- The blue region has only one square left — the queen must go there (row 4, column 8).
- Trying a queen at row 6, column 5 (the purple region) leads to a dead end, so that square can be crossed off.
- Trying a queen at row 7, column 5 (the tan region) leads to a dead end, so that square can be crossed off.
- Row 7 has only one square left — the queen must go there (column 6, in the teal region).
- Row 8 has only one square left — the queen must go there (column 4, in the tan region).
- Row 3 has only one square left — the queen must go there (column 3, in the green region).
- Row 6 has only one square left — the queen must go there (column 1, in the orange region).
- Row 5 has only one square left — the queen must go there (column 5, in the purple region).
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