Battleship

Q: How do you play Battleship?

Two players; each secretly places 5 ships on own 10×10 grid: Carrier (5 squares), Battleship (4), Cruiser (3), Submarine (3), Destroyer (2). Take turns calling coordinates ('B-5'); opponent says hit or miss. When all squares of a ship struck, opponent says 'you sank my [ship]'. First to sink all 5 ships (17 total squares) wins. Simple rules, deep probability + deduction strategy.

Q: What are the 5 ships in Battleship?

Carrier (5 squares) — longest, easiest to find. Battleship (4 squares). Cruiser (3 squares). Submarine (3 squares). Destroyer (2 squares) — smallest + hardest. Total: 17 squares of ships on 100-square grid. Some editions rename (Patrol Boat instead of Destroyer) or add extras (Aircraft Carrier + planes).

Q: Who invented Battleship?

Origins are paper-and-pencil games — 'Broadsides,' 'L'Attaque,' 'Salvo' — popular in early 1900s, especially during WWI in Europe. Milton Bradley published the first commercial paper version 1931. The famous plastic pegboard version was released 1967 by Milton Bradley (now owned by Hasbro since 1984). Not a single inventor — evolved from decades of naval-themed games.

Q: What's the best strategy?

Optimal play uses probability heat-maps + parity (checkerboard shooting). Parity: shoot only every-other square in checkerboard pattern — the 2-square Destroyer cannot hide from parity, so this eliminates 50% of squares. After first hit, switch to 'target mode' — shoot adjacent squares to sink. Ship placement: spread out, don't touch, avoid predictable corners/edges. Average optimal games take ~40-45 shots to sink all opponent ships.

Q: How long does a game take?

Setup: 2-3 minutes placing ships. Play: 15-30 minutes typical for casual; 30-45 min for careful tournament-style play. Very quick games possible (~10 min) if one player gets lucky early. Electronic/app versions faster due to automated hit-checking. Solo-vs-AI apps can be 5-10 min games.

Q: Is there a Battleship world championship?

No formal world championship exists — Battleship is a casual family game without professional circuit. Some online tournaments run through apps + websites (Play-Battleship.com, iOS leaderboards). Academic interest in optimal strategy (probability + AI research) is significant. Movie 'Battleship' (2012) brought pop-culture attention but wasn't a rules adaptation.

Officially Battleship (Hasbro/Milton Bradley)

Two-player naval guessing game — each player secretly places a fleet of ships on a 10×10 grid and takes turns calling coordinates to sink the opponent's fleet; first to sink all opponent's ships wins.

📐gridded board⏱~20 min🌤indoor

Photo · Wikipedia

What is Battleship?

Battleship is a two-player strategy guessing game played on paper grids or plastic pegboard sets. Origins: paper-and-pencil game 'Salvo' or 'L'Attaque' popular during WWI (~1900-1930). Milton Bradley released commercial plastic Battleship in 1967 (still Hasbro today). Each player has two 10×10 grids (columns A-J, rows 1-10): 'Ocean' grid with own ships hidden from opponent, 'Target' grid tracking shots at opponent. Ships placed at start: 1× Carrier (5 squares), 1× Battleship (4 squares), 1× Cruiser (3 squares), 1× Submarine (3 squares), 1× Destroyer (2 squares) — total 17 squares of ships on 100-square grid. Players alternate calling coordinates ('B-5'); opponent says 'hit' or 'miss'; when all squares of a ship are hit, opponent says 'you sank my Battleship' (or ship name). First to sink all 5 opponent ships wins. Simple rules, deep deduction + probability mathematics — top players use probability heat-maps + memory of opponent tendencies. One of most popular boxed games ever — 100+ million copies sold. Computer version 1979; iPhone app 2008; movie 2012 (loose adaptation). Also used in military training + probability education.

Quick facts

How it works

Objective

Sink all 5 of opponent's ships before they sink yours by calling coordinates on 10×10 grid.

Match structure

Setup: each player places 5 ships (17 squares total) secretly on own Ocean grid. Play: alternate calling coordinates ('C-7'). Opponent says 'hit' or 'miss'. When all squares of a ship struck, opponent announces sinking. First to sink all 5 opponent ships wins.

Rules

Basic rules

5 ships, 17 squares total
Carrier (5), Battleship (4), Cruiser (3), Submarine (3), Destroyer (2). Placed horizontally/vertically, not diagonally, no overlap.
Alternate calling coordinates
Each turn call one square (e.g. 'D-4'); opponent says hit/miss.
Announce sinking
When all squares of a ship hit, opponent says 'you sank my [ship name]'.
First to sink all 5 wins
Sink Carrier, Battleship, Cruiser, Submarine, Destroyer — all 17 squares hit.
No moving ships during game
Ships stay where placed at setup.
Honest reporting required
Opponent must accurately report hit/miss + sinking.

Advanced rules

Salvo variant
Fire multiple shots per turn equal to remaining ships (5 shots when all afloat, decreasing as sunk).
Grid Ship variant
Larger 12×12 or 15×15 grids for longer games.
Aircraft carrier planes
Some editions add planes launching from carrier for 3-square-radius scans.
Superweapons variant
Special abilities per ship (radar sweep, torpedo run, etc.) — 2012 movie tie-in edition.
Blind Battleship
Neither player has hit/miss info; both write down shots + reveal at end.
Broadsides variant
Historical 3D miniature version predating Milton Bradley.
Electronic Battleship
Voice-activated computer version calls hits automatically; solo play vs computer AI.

Scoring

Not points-based — first to sink all 5 opponent ships (17 hits total) wins.

Action	Points
Hit (any ship square)	progress toward sinking
Sink ship	1 of 5 ships eliminated
Sink all 5 ships	WIN

Win condition · Sink all opponent's 5 ships (all 17 squares hit) before they sink yours.

Playing area

Called

gridded board

Dimensions

10×10 grid (100 squares); columns A-J, rows 1-10. Two grids per player: Ocean (own ships) + Target (tracking).

Physical plastic case with vertical pegboard: red pegs = hits, white pegs = misses. Ships are plastic figures placed on horizontal grid.

Equipment

Battleship game set
Hasbro plastic version: 2 briefcases with vertical + horizontal grids, plastic ships + pegs. ~$15-25.
Ship pieces (5 per player)
Carrier (5 squares), Battleship (4), Cruiser (3), Submarine (3), Destroyer (2).
Red + white pegs
Red = hits on opponent (Target grid). White = misses. Also placed in own ships to mark hits taken.
Paper + pencil version
Two 10×10 grids drawn on paper; free / DIY.

Officiating

Self-officiated; both players honor system for hit/miss reporting. Plastic pegboard version prevents cheating via physical evidence.

Strategies

Probability heat-map
Optimal strategy calculates most likely ship-containing squares based on remaining ships + shot history. Center squares more probable; corners less.
Parity strategy (checkerboard)
Shoot only every-other square (checkerboard pattern) — smallest ship (Destroyer, 2 squares) cannot hide from parity shots. Cuts search space 50%.
Hunt + target modes
Hunt mode: parity/probability shots to find first hit. Target mode: after hit, shoot adjacent squares to complete sinking.
Ship placement — spread out
Don't cluster ships in corners; spread across grid. Avoid predictable edges (many players place along edges).
Ship placement — no touching
Ships not touching means one sunk doesn't reveal neighbors' locations.
Track opponent's shot pattern
If opponent uses parity, they'll be efficient; if random, longer games.

Terminology

Ocean grid: Player's own grid where ships placed (hidden from opponent).
Target grid: Player's tracking grid showing shots at opponent.
Hit: Called coordinate contains part of opponent's ship.
Miss: Called coordinate empty (water).
Sink: All squares of a ship hit; opponent announces 'you sank my [ship]'.
Salvo: Variant firing multiple shots per turn.
Parity: Checkerboard shot pattern efficient for finding ships.
Carrier: 5-square ship (longest).
Battleship: 4-square ship.
Cruiser / Submarine: 3-square ships (2 different).
Destroyer: 2-square ship (smallest, hardest to find).
Broadside: Firing at multiple squares in a row.
Grid reference: Coordinate like 'B-5' — column letter + row number.

Major competitions

No formal world championship — casual + hobbyist play only
n/a · worldwide
Online tournaments (Play-Battleship.com, iPad app leaderboards)
ongoing · global online · since 2010

Where it is played

Governing bodies

Hasbro (owns Milton Bradley + Battleship trademark since 1984)
Founded 1923 · Pawtucket, RI, USA
Official site ↗

Famous names & records

Famous athletes

No professional Battleship players; casual game only
Salen Churi — mathematician who published optimal Battleship strategy 2011
Nick Berry (DataGenetics) — famous 2011 blog on probability-based optimal play

Records

Copies sold (Milton Bradley/Hasbro)
Hasbro — 100+ million since 1967 (2020)
Fastest theoretical sinking
n/a — Minimum 17 shots (all hits, no misses) — probabilistically <0.001% (2020)
Optimal-play win rate vs random
Nick Berry (DataGenetics) — ~40 shots avg to sink all with probability heat-map (2011)

Learn this sport

beginner

1
Buy plastic set or play paper version
Hasbro plastic ~$15; paper DIY free. Learn 5 ships + grid basics.
2
Practice hit/miss tracking
Use pegs or paper marks to track shots efficiently.
3
Play 10-20 games vs friend/family
Get comfortable with basic hunt-and-target strategy.

intermediate

1
Learn parity strategy
Checkerboard shooting eliminates half the squares initially.
2
Track opponent placement tendencies
Many players cluster ships in corners or along edges.
3
Optimize own ship placement
Spread ships, avoid touching, mix horizontal/vertical.

advanced

1
Study probability heat-maps
DataGenetics + Nick Berry articles on optimal Battleship.
2
Play online vs stronger opponents
Play-Battleship.com, iOS/Android apps with rankings.
3
Programming AI for Battleship
Classic beginner AI project; probability + Bayesian updates.

Frequently asked

How do you play Battleship?+