Battleship Solitaire Rules
These are the classic newspaper-style rules used in Bimaru / Battleship Solitaire puzzles. Master them once and every daily puzzle becomes approachable.
Fleet Composition
Every puzzle uses the same fixed fleet:
- 1 battleship — 4 cells in a row
- 2 cruisers — 3 cells each
- 3 destroyers — 2 cells each
- 4 submarines — 1 cell each
Total: 20 ship cells on a 10×10 grid.
Row and Column Clues
Each number on the edge of the board tells you how many ship cells are in that row or column — not how many ships. A row with clue 3 could hold a single 3-cell cruiser, or a 2-cell destroyer plus a submarine. The count of cells must match exactly.
Zero Rows and Columns
If a clue is 0, the entire row or column is sea. Fill it immediately — you can click the "0" clue directly to auto-fill. This is always the first thing to do.
The No-Touch Rule
Ships cannot touch each other by any side or corner — including diagonally. This single rule powers most of the logical deductions: every confirmed ship cell forces all 8 surrounding cells to become sea.
Hint Types Explained
- Circle (submarine) — a 1-cell ship. All 8 neighbors are sea.
- Corner piece — the ship continues in one direction from the open side. Both diagonal neighbors and the cell behind are sea.
- Middle segment (square) — the ship extends in both directions along the same axis.
- End cap (half-cylinder) — the ship ends here. The cell beyond this end is sea.
Common Mistakes
- Forgetting to mark diagonal neighbors as sea after placing a ship.
- Interpreting the row clue as the number of ships rather than ship cells.
- Not filling zero rows and columns at the start.
- Trying to fit a large ship into a space that doesn't have enough consecutive free cells.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same as Bimaru?
Yes — Bimaru is another common name for Battleship Solitaire.
What does a corner hint tell me?
The ship continues in exactly one direction from the open side. The diagonal cells and the cell directly behind are all sea.
If a row shows 0, what do I fill it with?
Fill every cell with sea. Click the "0" clue to auto-fill.
Can a given hint be wrong?
No. All given hints are guaranteed correct. If something appears contradictory, there's an error in your deductions — not in the hint.
Does every puzzle have exactly one solution?
Yes. Every Zolelot puzzle is verified to have a unique solution reachable by pure logic.