  This paper presents a new approach to solving N-queen problems, which
involves a model of distributed autonomous agents with artificial life (ALife)
and a method of representing N-queen constraints in an agent environment. The
distributed agents locally interact with their living environment, i.e., a
chessboard, and execute their reactive behaviors by applying their behavioral
rules for randomized motion, least-conflict position searching, and cooperating
with other agents etc. The agent-based N-queen problem solving system evolves
through selection and contest according to the rule of Survival of the Fittest,
in which some agents will die or be eaten if their moving strategies are less
efficient than others. The experimental results have shown that this system is
capable of solving large-scale N-queen problems. This paper also provides a
model of ALife agents for solving general CSPs.
