Monodoku's Queens-style puzzle guide

Follow the forced moves

Sometimes a test placement forces another animal, then another. If those forced moves reach an impossible position, rule out the original square.

Try the example

Thinking ahead / 10

Work through the board

A REAL MONODOKU POSITION8 × 8

Outlines show the reason. Rings show the next move.
Small numbers identify matching colors.

Step 1 of 8

Imagine an animal in the square marked ?. This is only a test.

When to use it

Start with an imagined placement, then follow the animals it would force into single openings. If that chain leaves a required row, column or color with nowhere to place an animal, the original candidate is impossible.

What to watch for

Every move in the chain must be forced, not another guess. The question mark and numbered animals in the example are temporary. Discard the trial chain and apply only its proven elimination before continuing.

Read the full explanation

Imagine an animal in the square marked ?. This is only a test.
Row 1 would have just one opening. Animal 1 would have to go here.
Now column 2 has nowhere for its animal. Every column needs one, so our test cannot work.
That test leads to an impossible board. The square marked ? must be an X.
The Xs are in place. Now look at the remaining openings.
Column 7 has only one square left.
Place an animal in the ringed square.
The monkey belongs in row 1, column 7.

Examples use the game's own hint engine. A test placement is temporary; only the proven move is applied.

The same reasoning applies to other Queens-style games, including Meowdoku, with one animal or queen per row, column and color, and no touching, even diagonally.

You'll learn as you play

No need to memorize it all.

Begin with the basics. Monodoku introduces new techniques with a visual lesson when you need them. Hints explain the reasoning, one step at a time.

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