The Runtime Theory
hardLeetCode#backtracking#constraint-propagation

N-Queens

Place n queens on an n-by-n board so no pair shares a row, column, or diagonal.

The Runtime Theory Team25 min read
Solve it

Solving happens on the judge — come back and mark it done

Sample cases

inn=1

out[["Q"]]

inn=4

out2 solutions

inn=2

out[]

Place n queens on an n-by-n board so no pair shares a row, column, or diagonal.

A good solution should

  • State the invariant or decision rule that makes the approach correct.
  • Explain time and space costs in terms of input size and required output.
  • Handle empty, minimal, duplicate, and boundary-shaped inputs.

Reasoning prompt

Track occupied columns and the two diagonal keys. Build one row at a time so row conflicts are excluded by construction.

Use the linked judge for the canonical challenge. The examples above are compact TRT checks; create additional tests around the boundary most likely to break your invariant.

More practice in this topic

One dispatch a week

The trace behind each problem, the tradeoff that explains it, and one technical dispatch per week — no noise.

One technical dispatch per week. No noise.

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