Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Maximize the number of hits
• Method 2 of 3: Target specific ships
• Method 3 of 3: Place your own ships so that you take minimal damage
• Tips

Battleship is a simple game, but since you can't see your opponent's pieces, it can be difficult to win. While you will have to do some random bombing to place the first hit, you can use a strategic method to increase the chances of winning. You can also increase your chances of emerging victorious by positioning your ships in such a way that your opponent will be less likely to hit them.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Maximize the number of hits

1. Fire at the center of the board first. Statistically, you are more likely to hit a ship if you hit the center of the board, so start there.
   • The four-box square in the center will likely contain an aircraft carrier or battleship.
2. Take advantage of equality to increase your chances. Imagine the board as a chessboard, where half of the squares are dark and the other half light. Each ship occupies at least two squares, which means that each ship must hit a dark square. So if you fire randomly on the even or odd squares, you minimize the number of turns before hitting each ship.
   • Once you have placed a hit, you stop placing random shots and switch to aiming at the ship in question.
   • To keep track of the dark and light squares, look at your own board and imagine that the diagonal line of squares from the top left to the bottom right are dark. Imagine that the squares are light from top right to bottom left. You can start counting from that point to make sure every square you aim at is the correct color.
3. Continue elsewhere if you have two misses in the same segment. If you miss the bombing twice, fire on another part of the board. The chance that you just missed a ship is smaller than the chance that your bombing is completely wrong.

Method 2 of 3: Target specific ships

1. Make the target area smaller after a hit. After your first hit you will have to make the target area smaller and limit it to the area around the hit. Since the ships in naval battle occupy 2-5 squares, you may need several turns to sink the ship you hit.
2. Fire around the area you hit. First, bomb above, below or next to where you placed the hit to discover and hit more of the ship. If one of your attacks misses, try the area on the opposite side of the first hit. Keep attacking until you sink your opponent's warship. You will know when you have sunk your opponent's ship, because the players must indicate when a ship of their fleet has sunk.
3. Repeat the method to hit more of your opponent's ships. If you have sunk the first ship, you will have to continue firing randomly (or in the center of the board) to find another ship. Continue to bombard around the hit area until you sink another ship. By playing the game this way, you can decrease the number of turns it takes to sink all of your opponent's ships and thus increase your chances of winning the game.

Method 3 of 3: Place your own ships so that you take minimal damage

1. Place the ships so that they do not touch each other. If your ships are next to each other, there is a chance that the opponent can sink two of your ships in a row. To reduce the chance that your opponent can find a second ship after hitting the first, some players recommend spreading your fleet as much as possible on the playing field. Keep one or two spaces between each of the ships to reduce the chance that your opponent can find one of your ships.
2. Position your ships so that they touch but do not overlap. Although it is considered a disadvantage by some players to place ships directly next to each other, this is a possible strategy for other players. By placing two ships so that they touch, but do not overlap, you may be misleading the opponent about the type of ship that just sunk them.
   • Keep in mind that placing your ships close together can work to your advantage, but can also be a risky strategy as it may help your opponent find out where one or more of your ships are.
3. Pay attention to your opponent's moves. If you often play against the same opponent, you can increase your chance of winning in a different way, by placing your ships where your opponent rarely attacks. Try to remember which areas on the board are frequently attacked by the opponent and avoid those areas.
   • For example, does your opponent tend to start firing from the right, middle, or bottom left of the board? Identify the opponent's most frequently used spaces to attack, and do not place your ships in those zones.

Tips

• Vary your attacking strategy by switching the square you start with each time. For example, start with A-3 first, then B-4, C-5, etc.
• Once you have found your opponent's smallest ships, expand your attack area in the chess pattern and shoot at locations where only a larger ship can be hidden. Do not shoot where only a two-space ship could be, if those ships are already sunk.
• Players often aim first for the center of the board. Place your ships as far away as possible from there.