The 12×12 board is the deep end. With 12 interlocking regions, the opening moves are rarely obvious: you will often work through several layers of elimination before the first queen can be placed with certainty. Expect solves in the eight to fifteen minute range, and longer on a tangled layout.
Patience and bookkeeping win here. Keep the board fully X-marked, and sweep it in passes: first look for regions squeezed down to one candidate square, then for rows or columns with a single remaining option, then for regions trapped in one line. Each pass tends to unlock the next.
If a puzzle stalls completely, a single hint can restart the chain without spoiling the whole solve. And when a big board starts to feel routine, that is the sign your technique has genuinely leveled up.
Need the basics? See how to play or the strategy guide.