Hard Queens puzzles
For when the daily takes you two minutes. A 10×10 every week, harder than any daily, and big 9×9s at the top level. Each has one answer, and none needs a guess.
Queens of the week
Walkthroughs, every step explained: week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4.
Big 9×9s
How the hard ones break
The easy moves (a region of one square, a region inside one row) run out early on a big board. What’s left is counting: if two regions fit inside the same two rows, those two rows belong to them, and every other square in those rows is out. The same works for three regions in three columns.
When even that stalls, suppose. Put a queen on a square in your head and follow what it forces. If some region ends up with no square left, that square is out, and you know it for certain.
Both moves are taught step by step in regions that share rows and proof by contradiction.
Questions
What makes a Queens puzzle hard?
Big boards with few small regions. The easy moves run out, and you need group logic: when two regions fit inside the same two rows, those rows belong to them, and every other square in the rows is out.
Do hard Queens puzzles need guessing?
No. Sometimes the cleanest step is to suppose a queen goes on a square and follow what it forces until something breaks. That is a proof, not a guess: the square is ruled out for certain. More on that step.
What is Queens of the week?
One 10×10 each week, harder than any daily. When the week ends its full solve goes up as a walkthrough, every step named and explained.
Are these harder than LinkedIn’s Queens?
Usually. LinkedIn’s daily is built to be solved in a few minutes. Our weekly 10×10 and the big 9×9s are made to need the group moves.