Start with every 0 clue
A row or column with a clue of 0 contains no ship cells, so the entire line is water.
Example: If a column is labelled 0, mark every editable cell in that column with the Water tool.
🚢 Battleships: How to Play
How to play
Place every ship shown in the fleet list. The list tells you how many ships of each size you need.
A number beside a row or column tells you exactly how many cells in that line contain a ship.
Each ship is a single straight horizontal or vertical line.
Ships cannot touch one another, even diagonally at a corner.
Mark a cell with water when you know it cannot contain a ship.
The puzzle is solved when every clue is satisfied and the complete fleet is placed. Invalid ship cells turn red.
Solving tips
Close a satisfied line
Once a row or column contains its full number of ship cells, every other unknown cell in that line is water.
Example: A row has clue 3 and already contains three ship cells. Mark every other cell in the row as water.
Fill an exact fit
Count how many ship cells a line still needs, then count its unknown cells. If the numbers match, every unknown cell is a ship.
Example: A row needs 2 more ship cells and has exactly 2 cells that are not water. Mark both as ship.
Mark water diagonally
Ships cannot touch at a corner. Every confirmed ship cell immediately rules out its four diagonal neighbours.
Example: After placing a ship cell, mark each editable diagonal cell around it as water.
Seal a completed ship
When you know a ship has reached its full length, place water at both ends and along its sides so it cannot grow or touch another ship.
Example: A completed horizontal 3-cell ship needs water directly before and after it, above it, below it, and on its diagonals.
Read revealed ship shapes
A rounded ship end shows which direction the ship continues. A round single-cell ship does not continue in any direction.
Example: If a revealed end is rounded on the left and flat on the right, continue the ship to the right and mark water on its other sides.
Track the remaining fleet
Use the fleet list to avoid creating too many ships of one size. A finished ship turns green in the list.
Example: If every 2-cell ship is already finished, any new ship cell must belong to a different ship length.
Cross-check rows and columns
A cell must satisfy both its row clue and its column clue. Use deductions from one direction to unlock the other.
Example: Finishing a column may add water to a row, leaving that row with an exact fit for its remaining ship cells.