Expert · Very hard
Hardest Queens Puzzles
Ready for a real challenge? These are the hardest Queens puzzles out of all 4,000 levels, ranked by how many deductions they need and how advanced those deductions are. Every board still has exactly one solution and can be solved with pure logic — no guessing.
Top 50 hardest Queens puzzles
| # | Puzzle | Difficulty score | Deductions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10×10 #77 | 49 | 21 |
| 2 | 10×10 #78 | 49 | 21 |
| 3 | 10×10 #82 | 49 | 21 |
| 4 | 10×10 #324 | 49 | 20 |
| 5 | 10×10 #325 | 49 | 20 |
| 6 | 10×10 #331 | 49 | 20 |
| 7 | 10×10 #332 | 49 | 20 |
| 8 | 10×10 #76 | 46 | 20 |
| 9 | 10×10 #83 | 46 | 20 |
| 10 | 10×10 #236 | 46 | 20 |
| 11 | 10×10 #237 | 46 | 20 |
| 12 | 10×10 #238 | 46 | 20 |
| 13 | 10×10 #239 | 46 | 20 |
| 14 | 10×10 #240 | 46 | 20 |
| 15 | 10×10 #241 | 46 | 20 |
| 16 | 10×10 #243 | 46 | 20 |
| 17 | 10×10 #244 | 46 | 20 |
| 18 | 10×10 #245 | 46 | 20 |
| 19 | 10×10 #246 | 46 | 20 |
| 20 | 10×10 #176 | 46 | 19 |
| 21 | 10×10 #188 | 46 | 19 |
| 22 | 10×10 #189 | 46 | 19 |
| 23 | 10×10 #192 | 46 | 19 |
| 24 | 10×10 #193 | 46 | 19 |
| 25 | 10×10 #194 | 46 | 19 |
| 26 | 10×10 #333 | 46 | 19 |
| 27 | 12×12 #351 | 45 | 20 |
| 28 | 12×12 #350 | 45 | 19 |
| 29 | 11×11 #35 | 44 | 20 |
| 30 | 11×11 #71 | 44 | 20 |
| 31 | 11×11 #193 | 44 | 20 |
| 32 | 11×11 #194 | 44 | 20 |
| 33 | 11×11 #445 | 44 | 20 |
| 34 | 11×11 #3 | 44 | 19 |
| 35 | 11×11 #43 | 44 | 19 |
| 36 | 11×11 #44 | 44 | 19 |
| 37 | 11×11 #45 | 44 | 19 |
| 38 | 11×11 #64 | 44 | 19 |
| 39 | 11×11 #65 | 44 | 19 |
| 40 | 11×11 #66 | 44 | 19 |
| 41 | 11×11 #77 | 44 | 19 |
| 42 | 10×10 #25 | 43 | 19 |
| 43 | 10×10 #199 | 43 | 19 |
| 44 | 10×10 #200 | 43 | 19 |
| 45 | 10×10 #201 | 43 | 19 |
| 46 | 10×10 #202 | 43 | 19 |
| 47 | 10×10 #203 | 43 | 19 |
| 48 | 10×10 #204 | 43 | 19 |
| 49 | 10×10 #205 | 43 | 19 |
| 50 | 10×10 #235 | 43 | 19 |
Hardest puzzle for each size
- 5×5 #489 — score 23, 10 deductions (all 5×5 levels)
- 6×6 #186 — score 30, 12 deductions (all 6×6 levels)
- 7×7 #204 — score 34, 14 deductions (all 7×7 levels)
- 8×8 #93 — score 41, 17 deductions (all 8×8 levels)
- 9×9 #22 — score 42, 17 deductions (all 9×9 levels)
- 10×10 #77 — score 49, 21 deductions (all 10×10 levels)
- 11×11 #35 — score 44, 20 deductions (all 11×11 levels)
- 12×12 #351 — score 45, 20 deductions (all 12×12 levels)
Tips for hard Queens puzzles
On expert boards the opening is usually a line lock rather than a forced crown: find a region whose free cells all sit in one row or column, then clear the rest of that line. When two regions share the same two rows, those rows are reserved for them. Read the Queens strategy guide for worked examples, or warm up on 9×9 puzzles first.
Hard Queens puzzles FAQ
What is the hardest Queens puzzle?
By our logic rating, the hardest board in the game is 10×10 #77, which needs 21 deductions, most of them advanced line-lock and region-group steps. Bigger is not automatically harder: most of the hardest boards are 10×10, not 12×12.
How is Queens difficulty measured?
A logic engine solves every board the way a person would, using only proved deductions. Each step is weighted by how hard the technique is — a forced crown counts little, a group of regions reserving rows counts more — and the total is the board's difficulty score. The rating is algorithmic and not yet calibrated against player solve times.
How do I solve very hard Queens puzzles?
Hard boards rarely give an early forced crown. Look for line locks (a region confined to one row or column) and for groups of regions packed into the same rows or columns, and keep your marks clean. The strategy guide explains each technique with examples.