How to Play Battleships
Overview
Battleships (also known as Bimaru or Solitaire Battleships) is a single-player logic puzzle based on the classic naval combat game. Your goal is to find the hidden fleet using row and column clues, logical deduction, and the rules of ship placement.
Video Tutorial
Rules
- 1Place all ships from the fleet on the grid (sizes vary by grid size).
- 2Ships are placed horizontally or vertically, never diagonally.
- 3Ships cannot touch each other, not even diagonally.
- 4Numbers at the edges show how many ship cells are in that row or column.
- 5Some cells may be pre-filled as hints (ship parts or water).
The Fleet (10×10)
1× Battleship
4 cells
2× Cruisers
3 cells each
3× Destroyers
2 cells each
4× Submarines
1 cell each
Controls
ClickCycle through: Empty → Ship → Water
Arrow KeysNavigate the grid
Space/EnterCycle cell state
Ctrl+ZUndo last move
Ctrl+YRedo move
Solving Strategies
Start with Extremes
Look for rows or columns with 0 (all water) or high numbers (many ships).
Mark Water Around Ships
Once you place a ship segment, mark water in all diagonal cells around it.
Complete the Count
If a row or column has reached its ship count, fill remaining cells with water.
Find Forced Placements
Sometimes a ship can only fit in one location based on the constraints.