The 7×7 board is the friendliest way into the Queens puzzle. With only 7 queens to place, the regions are small and the chain of deductions is short, so most puzzles fall in one to three minutes. It is a great size for learning to read the board: spotting the single-cell regions, marking the squares a queen rules out, and getting a feel for how rows, columns, and colors interact.
Because the board is compact, mistakes are cheap. If you place a queen and the board lights up with conflicts, undo a step or two and try the other candidate. Speed-solvers also love this size for chasing personal bests, since a clean run can finish in well under a minute.
If the deductions start to feel automatic, move up to a 9×9 or 10×10 board, or read the strategy guide to sharpen your elimination technique first.
Need the basics? See how to play or the strategy guide.