Eight Queens Recursive Solver

A fully recursive implementation to solve the classic Eight Queens Puzzle in Java.

Overview

This project implements a recursive backtracking algorithm to solve the famous Eight Queens Puzzle. The challenge is to place eight chess queens on an 8×8 chessboard so that no two queens threaten each other; thus, a solution requires that no two queens share the same row, column, or diagonal.

Features

• Pure recursive implementation without loops (created as a programming challenge)
• Visualization of the solution on the console using a text-based chessboard
• Option to find all possible solutions by uncommenting a section of the code
• Clear documentation and explanations in comments

Example Output

When you run the program, it will display a solution like this:

Q  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  
.  .  .  .  Q  .  .  .  
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  Q  
.  .  .  .  .  Q  .  .  
.  .  Q  .  .  .  .  .  
.  .  .  .  .  .  Q  .  
.  Q  .  .  .  .  .  .  
.  .  .  Q  .  .  .  .  

How to Use

1. Clone this repository
2. Compile the Java file: javac EightQueensRECU.java
3. Run the program: java EightQueensRECU

By default, the program will find and display one solution. If you want to find more solutions, uncomment the indicated section in the main method.

How It Works

1. Initialize the chessboard
2. Use recursive backtracking to place queens one by one
3. Check if a queen can be placed safely in each position
4. If a solution is found, print the chessboard

Note

This implementation prioritizes recursive elegance over performance. It was created as a programming challenge to solve the Eight Queens Puzzle using maximum recursion.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

If you found a problem in the code, please create an issue on GitHub. Contributions are welcome!

Keywords

Eight Queens Puzzle, Recursive Algorithm, Backtracking, Java, Chess Programming, Algorithm Visualization