Solving the N-Queens Problem with GROOVE - Towards a Compendium of Best Practices

Abstract

We present a detailed solution to the N-queens puzzle using GROOVE, a graph transformation tool especially designed for state space exploration and analysis. While GROOVE has been freely available for more than a decade and has attracted a reasonable number of users, it is safe to say that only a few of these users fully exploit the tool features. To improve this situation, using the N-queens puzzle as a case study, in this paper we provide an in-depth discussion about problem solving with GROOVE, at the same time highlighting some of the tool's more advanced features. This leads to a list of best-practice guidelines, which we believe to be useful to new and expert users alike.