Queens Answer Today

LinkedIn Queens Answer #866

This page covers the LinkedIn Queens puzzle from September 13, 2026, number 866. Next to the board, the answer is also written out color by color, so you can check one region at a time against your own board.

47,384 viewsEst. time: 7-10 minDifficulty: Hard
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Where each color's queen goes

Each color gets exactly one queen. 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.

R1C1GrayR2C6BlueR3C2PurpleR4C4OrangeR5C7GreenR6C9BrownR7C3TealR8C5YellowR9C8Red

The full line of reasoning

Here is how the 9 queens fall into place, one deduction per paragraph. Press → to make one deduction at a time and watch the board change, or switch on auto-play to watch it.

Jump to a step
StartPress → for step 1
0 of 9 queens

Before you start

16 steps take Queens #866 from an empty board to the answer: 7 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 #866 solution, step by step

Pick any step to see it on the board.

  1. Queen on R4C4 Orange

    1. Look along column 1: the only candidates left are Gray. Since the line needs a queen, Gray cells elsewhere (R1C2, R1C3, R1C4, R1C5, R1C9, R2C3, R2C5, R2C7, R2C9, R3C5, R3C6, R3C7, R3C8, R3C9, R4C2, R4C3, R4C9, R5C2, R5C3, R5C9, R6C3, R8C2, R8C3, R8C4, R9C2, R9C3, R9C4 and R9C5) can be crossed out.

    2. Every open cell in column 9 is Brown. That line still needs a queen, so it must be the Brown queen, and the rest of the Brown region is out: R4C7, R4C8, R5C8, R6C8 and R7C8.

    3. Columns 2 and 3 only have open cells from Purple and Teal. Those colors must supply the queens for these lines, so their cells outside them are dropped: R2C4, R3C4, R6C4 and R7C4.

    4. Look along column 4: the only candidates left are Orange. Since the line needs a queen, Orange cells elsewhere (R4C5, R4C6 and R5C6) can be crossed out.

    5. Inside the Gray region, R3C1 and R7C1 each attack every open cell of Purple and Teal. Placing the queen on any of them would empty a region, so they are all eliminated.

    6. Row 3 can only be filled by the Purple region. That pins the Purple queen to this line and removes R2C2.

    7. Rows 1 and 2 only have open cells from Gray and Blue. Those colors must supply the queens for these lines, so their cells outside them are dropped: R4C1, R5C1, R6C1, R8C1 and R9C1.

    8. Row 4 has exactly one open square left, R4C4, and it belongs to the Orange region. That is where the queen goes. 3 cells drop out once you mark the row, column and the eight surrounding squares.

  2. Queen on R3C2 Purple

    1. The Purple region has nowhere else to go: R3C2 is its last legal square. 3 cells drop out once you mark the row, column and the eight surrounding squares.

  3. Queen on R1C1 Gray

    1. Every other cell of the Gray region has been crossed out by now, which leaves R1C1 for its queen. That rules out 3 more cells across row 1, column 1, the rest of the color and the squares touching it.

  4. Queen on R7C3 Teal

    1. The Teal region is down to one open cell, so its queen goes on R7C3. Crossing out its row, column, color and neighbours removes 4 candidates.

  5. Queen on R5C7 Green

    1. Scan row 5: everything except R5C7 is already blocked, so the Green region takes its queen there. 5 cells drop out once you mark the row, column and the eight surrounding squares.

  6. Queen on R8C5 Yellow

    1. The Yellow region has nowhere else to go: R8C5 is its last legal square. 4 cells drop out once you mark the row, column and the eight surrounding squares.

  7. Queen on R9C8 Red

    1. Every other cell of the Red region has been crossed out by now, which leaves R9C8 for its queen. That rules out 2 more cells across row 9, column 8, the rest of the color and the squares touching it.

  8. Queen on R2C6 Blue

    1. The Blue region is down to one open cell, so its queen goes on R2C6. Nothing new is crossed out, since its neighbours were already blocked.

  9. Queen on R6C9 Brown

    1. Last one: the Brown region gets its queen on R6C9, the one square nothing else attacks.

Put together, the 9 queens of #866 sit on R1C1, R2C6, R3C2, R4C4, R5C7, R6C9, R7C3, R8C5 and R9C8.

Solved grid as text

Blue is the smallest region with 5 cells (queen on R2C6); Gray is the largest with 37 cells, and its queen sits on R1C1.

  • Blue5 cellsR2C6
  • Purple5 cellsR3C2
  • Orange5 cellsR4C4
  • Green5 cellsR5C7
  • Teal5 cellsR7C3
  • Yellow5 cellsR8C5
  • Red5 cellsR9C8
  • Brown9 cellsR6C9
  • Gray37 cellsR1C1

Common questions

Where is the Blue queen in Queens #866?
On R2C6.
Full answer for Queens #866?
R1C1, R2C6, R3C2, R4C4, R5C7, R6C9, R7C3, R8C5 and R9C8.
Do I need to guess on this one?
No. Pure logic is enough: 6 row/column locks and 1 what-if check 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

  • 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.

  • Work Row by Row

    Focus on completing one row at a time. This systematic approach reduces mistakes and makes the puzzle more manageable.

  • Look for Isolated Regions

    Regions that are separated from others often have unique solutions. Identify them early to gain an advantage.