n queens

(classic problem)

Definition: Place n chess queens on an n × n board such that no queen can attack another. Efficiently find all possible placements.

See also 8 queens.

Note: A backtracking algorithm may be efficient enough for small values of n.

Author: PEB

Implementation

Barzan "Tony" Antal's backtracking (or depth-first) solution (C++), which has an explanation.

If you have suggestions, corrections, or comments, please get in touch with Paul Black.

Entry modified 29 April 2010.
HTML page formatted Mon May 11 15:07:57 2026.

Cite this as:
Paul E. Black, "n queens", in Dictionary of Algorithms and Data Structures [online], Vreda Pieterse and Paul E. Black, eds. 29 April 2010. (accessed TODAY) Available from: /HTML/nqueens.html