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Eight Queens

Lay down eight queens on the chessboard without conflict, backed by live attack counters, optional overlays, and rotating trivia nuggets.

Heads up: If the embed stalls, launch Eight Queens in its original tab instead. Open game in a new window

Gameplay overview

Classic puzzle, modern helpers

Eight Queens revives the famous 19th century chess puzzle in a friendly React interface. Your goal is simple: place eight queens so that no two share a rank, file, or diagonal. A live status panel tracks how many queens are on the board and how many are under attack, helping you steer attempts without losing the plot. A timer records your run so you can benchmark new strategies or race friends.

Eight Queens chessboard with highlighted ranks, files, and diagonals
Use the conflict counters and optional attack overlays to reason through every placement.

Interface highlights

Attack-path overlay

The Show attack paths toggle splashes radial highlights across every square a queen can threaten. It is perfect when you need a visual reminder of chess movement rules, especially for diagonals that wrap the board.

Rotating trivia & hints

A “Did you know?” ticker cycles through facts about the n-queens problem, chess history, and puzzle-solving lore. Leave it running to learn the math behind the challenge or get gentle nudges like “Hint: how does a knight move?” while you plan your next move.

Controls & actions

Simple mouse input

  • Click a square to place a queen; click the same queen again to remove it.
  • Use the Show/Hide attack paths button to toggle threat highlights.
  • Tap Restart to reset the board instantly if your current layout stalls.

The board locks at eight queens, preventing accidental extra pieces and letting you focus on eliminating conflicts.

Strategy tips

Plan for diagonals first

  • Slot early queens near the middle to keep more diagonals free for later placements.
  • Use the attack overlay to double-check both diagonals before committing to a square.
  • Pair opposite corners—once you place a queen on a corner, immediately map the diagonal it dominates.

Frequently asked questions

Need a quick answer?

Q: Does Eight Queens include multiple solutions?
A: Yes. There are 92 valid layouts; the timer simply records how quickly you reach any conflict-free configuration.

Q: Can I play on touch devices?
A: The React board responds to taps, so tablets and phones work well in either orientation.

Q: Where can I explore the code or run it offline?
A: Clone the MIT-licensed source on GitHub and build with `npm install` followed by `npm start` for local development.

Our take

Why this Eight Queens version works so well

Eight Queens has been implemented countless times, but this build strikes a nice balance between pedagogy and pure puzzle. The live conflict counter and optional attack overlays give you immediate feedback without solving the challenge for you, which makes it a great teaching tool for explaining chess movement and basic constraint reasoning. The timer adds just enough pressure to turn each attempt into a self-contained challenge—perfect for coffee-break play or friendly races.

The clean React UI and small touches like trivia blurbs also help the puzzle feel approachable rather than intimidating. You can hand this to someone who hasn’t touched chess in years, toggle on attack paths, and they’ll still be able to grasp what’s going wrong when queens conflict. For more experienced players, chasing faster solution times or exploring alternative layouts is a satisfying way to warm up the brain.

Who will enjoy it?

This version is ideal for puzzle fans, chess instructors, and anyone who likes compact logic challenges that you can explain in one sentence but spend hours mastering. If you’re hunting for multiple puzzle types or a campaign, look elsewhere; Eight Queens is laser-focused on doing one timeless problem very well.