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How scoring works: Queens

Your game score comes from your own puzzle result. Your party rank compares that score with your party's submissions for the same day.

Quick summary

Queens scores you on how fast you solve the puzzle, using wider time brackets (up to 10 minutes) since it is a harder puzzle. Your party rank compares your game score with other party submissions for the same game and day, and can change as new submissions arrive.

How to score well

  • Solve the puzzle as quickly as possible — under one minute earns a perfect score.
  • Scan for regions with the fewest placement options first to narrow the solution faster.
  • Even a slow solve beats not finishing — solving always earns at least the 0.2 floor.
  • Flawless status is recorded for stats but does not change your score.

How ranking works in parties

  • Faster times rank higher within the party.
  • Unsolved entries earn 0 points for the day.
  • Identical times share the same competition rank (1, 1, 3).

Example

In a 3-player party Alice solves Queens in 0:45, Bob in 3:42, Carol doesn't finish. Alice earns 3 points, Bob earns 2, Carol earns 0.

How to submit your score

On iOS, tap Share → PuzzleParty after solving. On Android/web, tap the share button, copy the result, and paste it into PuzzleParty.

Technical scoring data 
{
    "ranking": {
        "tie_algorithm": {
            "key": "competition_ranking",
            "display_name": "Competition ranking"
        }
    },
    "examples": [
        "A solve in 60 seconds or less lands in the top bracket and earns 1.0.",
        "A solve in 3:42 (222 seconds) lands in the up-to-5-minute bracket and earns 0.6.",
        "A solve slower than 10 minutes earns the 0.2 solved floor \u2014 still above an unsolved puzzle."
    ],
    "rule_text": "Queens uses wider time brackets than shorter timed puzzles because it is a harder puzzle. Faster solves land in higher brackets and earn a better game score: 60 seconds or less earns a perfect 1.0, and the brackets step down through 10 minutes. Solves slower than the last bracket still beat an unsolved puzzle, earning the 0.2 solved floor. Unsolved puzzles score 0.0.",
    "edge_cases": [
        "Unsolved puzzles always receive a normalized score of 0.0; a solved puzzle never scores below the 0.2 floor.",
        "The 'flawless' flag (no incorrect placements) is recorded but does not affect the normalized score.",
        "Bracket boundaries are inclusive of the upper time (e.g. exactly 60 seconds falls in the 60-second bracket)."
    ],
    "measurement": {
        "metric_key": "time_seconds",
        "metric_label": "Time to solve",
        "scoring_type": "time_based"
    },
    "human_review": {
        "checklist": [
            "Verify rule_text reflects the wider 60s-600s bracket range without ambiguity.",
            "Verify examples are readable and match the configured Queens brackets.",
            "Verify edge_cases are clear and non-conflicting, especially the 0.2 solved floor and the flawless flag behavior."
        ],
        "machine_verifiable_scope": [
            "measurement.scoring_type",
            "absolute_scoring.method",
            "absolute_scoring.solved_floor",
            "absolute_scoring.unsolved_score",
            "absolute_scoring.brackets",
            "ranking.tie_algorithm.key",
            "party_ranking.normalization_summary"
        ]
    },
    "party_ranking": {
        "normalization_summary": "Within a party, players are ranked on Queens by faster completion times first, with unsolved entries ranked last. Each player earns one point for every party member they beat, plus one. Players who don't solve the puzzle earn zero points for this game."
    },
    "schema_version": 1,
    "absolute_scoring": {
        "method": "time_based",
        "brackets": {
            "60": 1,
            "120": 0.9,
            "180": 0.8,
            "300": 0.6,
            "600": 0.4
        },
        "scoring_type": "time_based",
        "solved_floor": 0.2,
        "unsolved_score": 0
    }
}