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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.