Queens game › Guide
Queens vs Star Battle vs N-Queens: Rules
LinkedIn-style Queens uses the rules of one-star Star Battle: one piece per row, column and region, with no touching. Two-star Star Battle changes that quota to two. Chess N-Queens forbids pieces sharing any diagonal and has no colour regions.
The crown symbol makes these games look related to chess, but applying a chess queen's full diagonal attack to a Queens logic puzzle can rule out correct moves.
Four rule sets at a glance
| Rule | Queens / one-star Star Battle | Two-star Star Battle | Chess N-Queens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per row | 1 piece | 2 stars | 1 queen |
| Per column | 1 piece | 2 stars | 1 queen |
| Per region | 1 piece | 2 stars | No region rule |
| Adjacent diagonally | Forbidden | Forbidden | Forbidden |
| Farther along a diagonal | Allowed | Allowed | Forbidden |
| Pieces on a 10×10 board | 10 | 20 | 10 |
“Star Battle” names the puzzle family, so always read the stated star quota. It does not automatically mean two stars. Colours and thick outlines identify regions; crowns and stars are alternative piece symbols.
Can Queens share a diagonal?
Yes, in LinkedIn-style Queens and Star Battle, provided the pieces do not touch. A piece at row 1, column 1 blocks row 2, column 2, but it does not block row 3, column 3 just because they share a diagonal.
The two shown positions pass the no-touch test and occupy different rows, columns and regions. They fail the N-Queens diagonal test. That local permission does not prove either placement belongs in the solution of a particular Queens puzzle.
Is Queens the same as one-star Star Battle?
The placement constraints are the same: one piece in each row, column and region, with no two adjacent even at a corner. Solvedle's Queens practice uses crowns, while one-star Star Battle practice uses stars. Both teach the same core deductions.
Look for a row, column or region with one candidate left. If two regions can place their pieces only in the same two rows, those rows are reserved: other cells in them are empty. The Queens strategy guide shows these deductions on real puzzles.
What changes with two stars?
Each row, column and region now needs exactly two stars. Placing the first star does not finish that unit. Only its neighbouring cells are immediately excluded by the no-touch rule; other cells in its row, column and region may hold the second star.
A 10×10 two-star board needs 20 stars, counted as two in each of ten rows. The column and region totals describe those same stars, not additional pieces. A useful next step is to consider all non-touching pairs in a small region, then compare them with the rows and columns they cross.
Start with Queens →Try two stars →
Ready for a complete example? Follow the worked 10×10 two-star puzzle. For the sun-and-moon family, see Tango vs Takuzu.
Rule references
The official Queens rules specify adjacent cells, including diagonals. Grandmaster Puzzles' Star Battle rules use the stated quota for rows, columns and regions. Google's N-Queens explanation describes chess queens sharing no diagonal. Solvedle is independent of LinkedIn.