Queens #18 (October 13, 2026): solution and step-by-step

Each step is a deduction a person can make, in the order our solver found them. Rows and columns are counted from the top-left corner.

1. Cross out 5 cells. Every free cell of the gold region is in column 1, so that region's queen must be there — the rest of column 1 is crossed out.

2. Cross out row 2, column 2. This cell touches every free cell of column 1 — a queen here would leave column 1 with no queen, so it's crossed out.

3. Cross out row 7, column 7. This cell touches every free cell of the rose region — a queen here would leave the rose region with no queen, so it's crossed out.

4. Cross out 7 cells. The gold region, the lavender region and the coral region all fit inside rows 1, 2, 3, so those 3 rows' queens are theirs — every other cell in rows 1, 2, 3 is crossed out.

5. Queen at row 4, column 2. The mint region has only one free cell left — that must be its queen.

6. Cross out 4 cells. Queens can't touch, not even diagonally — the cells around this queen are crossed out.

7. Cross out 5 cells. Row 4 already has its queen — the rest of it is crossed out.

8. Cross out 3 cells. Column 2 already has its queen — the rest of it is crossed out.

9. Cross out 6 cells. The coral region and the rose region all fit inside columns 7 and 8, so those 2 columns' queens are theirs — every other cell in columns 7 and 8 is crossed out.

10. Queen at row 6, column 6. The sky region has only one free cell left — that must be its queen.

11. Cross out 5 cells. Queens can't touch, not even diagonally — the cells around this queen are crossed out.

12. Cross out 2 cells. Row 6 already has its queen — the rest of it is crossed out.

14 more steps follow the same pattern until the 8 queens are placed.

Queens by row: row 1: column 1 (gold); row 2: column 3 (lavender); row 3: column 7 (coral); row 4: column 2 (mint); row 5: column 4 (orchid); row 6: column 6 (sky); row 7: column 8 (rose); row 8: column 5 (lime).