Battleship Game Rules

Classic Battleship

Battleship is a two-player game where players take turns calling out coordinates on the opponent's grid. If the opponent has a ship at those coordinates, it is hit and the attacker gets another turn. The goal is to sink all of the opponent's ships first.

The Grid

Each player uses a 10×10 grid. Rows are numbered 1–10 from top to bottom; columns are labeled A B C D E F G H I J from left to right. Each player also tracks shots on a second identical grid representing the opponent's sea.

Fleet Composition

Each player places 10 ships:

Placement Rules

Before the game begins, each player secretly places all 10 ships on their grid:

• Ships cannot touch each other — not by sides, not by corners. There must always be at least one empty cell between them.
• Ships cannot extend beyond the grid boundaries.
• Ships must be placed horizontally or vertically (not diagonally).

Gameplay

Players decide who goes first. The active player calls out a coordinate — for example, "C4".

1. Miss — the shot hit an empty cell. The shooter marks a dot on their tracking grid and the turn passes to the opponent.
2. Hit — the shot hit a cell of a multi-cell ship that is not yet sunk. Marked with a cross. The shooter gets another turn.
3. Sunk — the last remaining cell of a ship is hit. The ship is sunk; dots are placed around it. The shooter gets another turn.

Victory

The first player to sink all 10 enemy ships wins. The battleship is easiest to find due to its size; torpedo boats are hardest since they sink in one hit but are small.

Rule Violations

If a violation is proven, the win is awarded to the other player:

• Incorrect number of ships.
• Ships touching each other.
• Wrong grid size or coordinate system.
• Ships moved during the game.
• A player skipped their turn.

Strategy

After sinking any ship, all surrounding cells are guaranteed empty — mark them as misses immediately to narrow the search area.