LinkedIn Queens Answer #852
LinkedIn Queens #852 went live on Sunday, August 30, 2026. It is a 9×9 board with 9 color regions, and the finished answer places queens on R1C9, R2C6, R3C8, R4C3, R5C7, R6C5, R7C1, R8C4 and R9C2. Below you will find the coordinates row by row, the reasoning that unlocks the grid, and every deduction in the order a careful solver would find it.
Queens #852 answer in text
One queen per row, listed from top to bottom. Rows are counted from the top and columns from the left, so R1C1 is the top-left square. Small numbers show the order the queens are found.
Step-by-step solution for Queens #852
Each step names the rule that makes progress and the cells it affects. 9 queens are placed in total. Press → to make one deduction at a time and watch the board change, or switch on auto-play to watch it.
Before you start
34 steps take Queens #852 from an empty board to the answer: 25 rule cells out and 9 place a queen.
Each press of Next makes one deduction and redraws the board.
- This step's queen
- Ruled out now
- Ruled out earlier
- What the step looks at
Queens #852 solution, step by step
Pick any step to see it on the board.
1. Queen on R1C9 Purple
Every open cell in row 1 is Purple. That line still needs a queen, so it must be the Purple queen, and the rest of the Purple region is out: R2C1, R2C2, R2C3, R2C9, R3C1, R3C2, R3C9, R4C1, R4C2, R4C9, R5C1 and R6C1.
R9C5 looks possible for the Brown region, but it covers all of Red's open squares at once. Rule it out.
Check the Blue region against its neighbours. R4C6 and R6C7 would block all of Orange and Yellow, so remove both.
Inside the Brown region, R5C8 and R5C9 each attack every open cell of Blue. Placing the queen on any of them would empty a region, so they are all eliminated.
R7C2 looks possible for the Green region, but it covers all of Gray's open squares at once. Rule it out.
A queen on R6C6 would wipe out the Blue region completely, which can never happen in a valid answer. Cross it off.
Try a queen on R2C5 for the Teal region: the chain would force R4C4 and R9C3, and then the Gray region would have no cells left. That contradiction eliminates R2C5.
R4C4 looks possible for the Orange region, but it covers all of Teal's open squares at once. Rule it out.
A short what-if settles R7C4. With a queen there, the chain would force R8C7 and R9C3, and then the Teal region would have no cells left. Cross R7C4 out.
Test R9C3 in the Red region: a queen there would attack every remaining Gray cell. Gray would be left empty, so R9C3 is out.
What if the Gray region used R8C3? Follow it through: the next forced queen would be R7C5, and then the Yellow region would have no cells left. So R8C3 is not the answer.
A queen on R6C2 would wipe out the Gray region completely, which can never happen in a valid answer. Cross it off.
Try a queen on R8C5 for the Red region: the chain would force R7C7 and R5C6, and then the Orange region would have no cells left. That contradiction eliminates R8C5.
R6C4 looks possible for the Green region, but it covers all of Red's open squares at once. Rule it out.
A short what-if settles R7C3. With a queen there, the next forced queen would be R9C4, and then the Teal region would have no cells left. Cross R7C3 out.
All remaining cells of the Gray region lie in column 2. Its queen will end up there no matter what, so the other colors lose those squares: R1C2 and R5C2.
The Green region cannot use R8C1 and R9C1: each of those squares leaves Gray with nowhere to go.
A short what-if settles R2C4. With a queen there, the chain would force R7C5, R3C6, R8C7 and R6C8, and then row 4 would have no legal square. Cross R2C4 out.
Try a queen on R3C4 for the Teal region: the chain would force R2C6, R7C5, R8C7 and R6C8, and then row 4 would have no legal square. That contradiction eliminates R3C4.
The Teal region is boxed into column 3. That column belongs to it, so cross out R1C3, R5C3 and R6C3.
A short what-if settles R5C4. With a queen there, the chain would force R3C3, R2C6, R6C8 and R8C7, and then row 4 would have no legal square. Cross R5C4 out.
Test R7C5 in the Red region: a queen there would attack every remaining Green cell. Green would be left empty, so R7C5 is out.
The Red region is boxed into column 4. That column belongs to it, so cross out R1C4.
Counting argument: two regions (Gray and Red) live entirely in two rows (rows 8 and 9). No other color can place a queen there, so remove R8C6, R8C7, R8C8, R8C9, R9C6, R9C7, R9C8 and R9C9.
Blue, Green and Yellow are confined to rows 5, 6 and 7. Three colors packed into three rows use up every queen those lines can hold, so the stray cells of other colors go: R6C9, R7C8 and R7C9.
Scan column 9: everything except R1C9 is already blocked, so the Purple region takes its queen there. 6 cells drop out once you mark the row, column and the eight surrounding squares.
2. Queen on R7C1 Green
Column 1 still needs a queen and R7C1 is the only candidate, which settles the Green region as well. That rules out 4 more cells across row 7, column 1, the rest of the color and the squares touching it.
3. Queen on R6C5 Yellow
Every other cell of the Yellow region has been crossed out by now, which leaves R6C5 for its queen. That rules out 4 more cells across row 6, column 5, the rest of the color and the squares touching it.
4. Queen on R5C7 Blue
The Blue region is down to one open cell, so its queen goes on R5C7. Crossing out its row, column, color and neighbours removes 4 candidates.
5. Queen on R3C8 Brown
Only R3C8 is still free inside the Brown region. The queen goes there. After the usual cleanup (row 3, column 8, the touching squares and the rest of the color) 2 cells disappear.
6. Queen on R4C3 Teal
The Teal region has nowhere else to go: R4C3 is its last legal square. Nothing new is crossed out, since its neighbours were already blocked.
7. Queen on R2C6 Orange
Every other cell of the Orange region has been crossed out by now, which leaves R2C6 for its queen. Nothing new is crossed out, since its neighbours were already blocked.
8. Queen on R9C2 Gray
The Gray region is down to one open cell, so its queen goes on R9C2. Crossing out its row, column, color and neighbours removes 1 candidate.
9. Queen on R8C4 Red
Last one: the Red region gets its queen on R8C4, the one square nothing else attacks.
That completes Queens #852: R1C9, R2C6, R3C8, R4C3, R5C7, R6C5, R7C1, R8C4 and R9C2.
Text map of the solved board
Teal is the smallest region with 5 cells (queen on R4C3); Purple is the largest with 21 cells, and its queen sits on R1C9.
- Teal5 cellsR4C3
- Orange5 cellsR2C6
- Blue5 cellsR5C7
- Yellow5 cellsR6C5
- Gray5 cellsR9C2
- Red5 cellsR8C4
- Green11 cellsR7C1
- Brown19 cellsR3C8
- Purple21 cellsR1C9
Queens #852 FAQ
- What is the answer to LinkedIn Queens #852?
- The queens go on R1C9, R2C6, R3C8, R4C3, R5C7, R6C5, R7C1, R8C4 and R9C2.
- Where should I start on Queens #852?
- Row 1 can only be filled by Purple.
- How hard is Queens #852?
- It rates hard. The solve uses 6 row/column locks and 19 what-if checks on top of basic elimination.
Game Rules
Master these rules to solve any Queens puzzle
One Queen Per Color
Each colored region must contain exactly one queen.
No Attacks
Queens cannot attack each other horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.
No Adjacent Queens
Queens cannot touch each other, even diagonally.
Solving Strategies
Pro tips to solve puzzles faster
Start with Corners
Look at corner regions first. They often have limited placement options, making them easier to solve and providing a good starting point.
Mark Conflicts
Use X marks to indicate where queens cannot be placed due to row, column, or diagonal conflicts. This visual aid helps narrow down options.
Process of Elimination
If a color region has only one available cell after considering all conflicts, place the queen there with confidence.
Check Diagonals Carefully
Diagonal attacks are easy to miss. Always check all 8 surrounding cells when placing a queen to ensure no conflicts.