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Battleship
Battleship originated as a pencil-and-paper game played by soldiers during World War I. Milton Bradley turned it into a board game in 1967, and it's been a staple of game nights ever since. The game combines deductive reasoning with probability — you're trying to locate ships on a hidden grid using nothing but hit-and-miss information.
Battleship Rules
Each player has a 10×10 grid and places 5 ships of varying sizes: Carrier (5), Battleship (4), Cruiser (3), Submarine (3), and Destroyer (2). Ships must be placed horizontally or vertically — no diagonals — and cannot overlap.
Players take turns calling out grid coordinates (like B4 or G7). Your opponent reports "Hit" or "Miss." When all squares of a ship have been hit, it's sunk, and your opponent announces which ship went down.
The first player to sink all five of their opponent's ships wins.
Battleship Strategy & Tips
Use the checkerboard pattern for hunting
When searching for ships, fire in a checkerboard pattern (hit every other square). Since the smallest ship is 2 squares long, a checkerboard covers every possible ship placement. This is mathematically the most efficient way to search.
Switch to target mode after a hit
Once you get a hit, fire at the four adjacent squares (up, down, left, right) to determine the ship's orientation. Once you have two hits in a line, keep firing along that line in both directions until the ship sinks. Don't go back to random hunting until you've finished the current ship.
Place ships away from edges
Many beginners place ships along the edges of the board, thinking they're hidden. Experienced players know this and often check edges first. Placing ships in the interior, slightly off-center, avoids the most common targeting patterns.
Track probability, not just hits
As you get misses, certain areas of the board become more likely to contain ships. A large unexplored area can fit more ships than a small one. In the late game, focus your shots on the areas with the highest density of possible remaining ship placements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the ship sizes in Battleship?
The standard fleet has 5 ships: Carrier (5 squares), Battleship (4 squares), Cruiser (3 squares), Submarine (3 squares), and Destroyer (2 squares). That's 17 squares total out of 100 on the board.
Can ships touch each other in Battleship?
In the standard rules, ships can be placed adjacent to each other (touching) but cannot overlap. Some house rules require a one-square gap between ships, but that's not the official rule. Our version follows standard rules — ships can touch but not overlap.
What is the best strategy for placing ships in Battleship?
Avoid clustering ships together — a lucky hit becomes devastating. Don't line up ships along the edges (it's the first place experienced players check). Scatter ships around the board with a mix of horizontal and vertical orientations. Varying your placement between games also helps against opponents who learn your habits.