LinkedIn Queens #885 answer — October 2, 2026

This Queens has exactly one solution, and you can reach it without guessing. Every step below follows from the rules. A “check” step shows why a queen can't go somewhere; it never asks you to gamble.

1. 1Where to lookShow hint

   Look at rows 4 and 5.
2. 2The first deductionShow hint

   The open cells of rows 4 and 5 all belong to the green and gray regions, so their queens sit in rows 4 and 5 and their other cells are empty.

   Pattern

   Pigeonhole: two rows in two regions. When the open cells of two rows all belong to the same two regions, those regions' queens are in those rows, so cross out the rest of those regions.
3. 3The first queenShow hint

   Column 4 has one open cell left, in row 5, so its queen goes there.

   Steps 1–8 of the walkthrough rule out the cells marked ×.
4. 4Solve it step by stepShow hint

   Rows count from the top and columns from the left. Every queen rules out the rest of its row, its column and its color region, plus the eight cells around it.

   1. Pigeonhole: two rows in two regions. The open cells of rows 4 and 5 all belong to the green and gray regions, so their queens sit in rows 4 and 5 and their other cells are empty.
   2. Pigeonhole: three regions in three columns. The purple, gray, and red regions lie entirely within columns 1, 2, and 3, so the queens of those columns belong to them and every other cell of columns 1, 2, and 3 is empty.
   3. No-touching check. A queen at row 1, column 7 would leave the orange region with no open cell, so that cell stays empty.
   4. A region trapped in one column. The blue region lies entirely in column 8, so the queen of column 8 belongs to it and every other cell of column 8 is empty.
   5. A region trapped in one row. The beige region lies entirely in row 8, so the queen of row 8 belongs to it and every other cell of row 8 is empty.
   6. A region trapped in one column. The red region lies entirely in column 1, so the queen of column 1 belongs to it and every other cell of column 1 is empty.
   7. A region trapped in one row. The purple region lies entirely in row 1, so the queen of row 1 belongs to it and every other cell of row 1 is empty.
   8. A region trapped in one row. The gray region lies entirely in row 4, so the queen of row 4 belongs to it and every other cell of row 4 is empty.
   9. Last open cell. Column 4 has one open cell left, in row 5, so its queen goes there.
   10. Last open cell. The gray region has one open cell left (row 4, column 2), so its queen goes there.
   11. Last open cell. The purple region has one open cell left (row 1, column 3), so its queen goes there.
   12. Last open cell. The yellow region has one open cell left (row 7, column 5), so its queen goes there.
   13. Last open cell. The red region has one open cell left (row 6, column 1), so its queen goes there.
   14. Last open cell. The beige region has one open cell left (row 8, column 7), so its queen goes there.
   15. Last open cell. The orange region has one open cell left (row 2, column 6), so its queen goes there.
   16. Last open cell. The blue region has one open cell left (row 3, column 8), so its queen goes there.
5. 5Queens #885 solutionShow answer

   Crowns in columns 3, 6, 8, 2, 4, 1, 5, 7 (rows 1–8, top to bottom).