Queens #46 (November 10, 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 6 cells. Every free cell of the lime region is in row 8, so that region's queen must be there — the rest of row 8 is crossed out.

2. Queen at row 7, column 3. The rose region has only one free cell left — that must be its queen.

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

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

5. Cross out 5 cells. Column 3 already has its queen — the rest of it is crossed out.

6. Queen at row 8, column 5. Row 8 has only one free cell left — that must be its queen.

7. Cross out 6 cells. Column 5 already has its queen — the rest of it is crossed out.

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

9. Cross out row 5, column 1. This cell touches every free cell of the orchid region — a queen here would leave the orchid region with no queen, so it's crossed out.

10. Cross out 3 cells. The sky region and the orchid region all fit inside rows 5 and 6, so those 2 rows' queens are theirs — every other cell in rows 5 and 6 is crossed out.

11. Cross out 3 cells. The gold region, the coral region and the sky region all fit inside columns 6, 7, 8, so those 3 columns' queens are theirs — every other cell in columns 6, 7, 8 is crossed out.

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

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

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