How to Play Sea Battle
Sea Battle is the pencil-and-paper classic: two hidden grids, two fleets, and a lot of guessing that turns into deduction.
Setup
- Each side has a 10×10 grid and a fleet of five ships: 5, 4, 3, 3 and 2 squares long.
- Ships lie in straight lines and never touch, not even at a corner.
- You can't see the enemy fleet; they can't see yours.
Playing
- Take turns firing at one square of the enemy grid.
- A miss is marked with a dot; a hit with a cross.
- A hit earns you another shot.
- When every square of a ship is hit, it's sunk, and the board tells you how long it was.
Sink all five enemy ships to win.
Playing on kawu
- Press Shuffle fleet before your first shot to rearrange your ships.
- Three computer levels: the hard one fires at the most likely square every time.
- Hint marks the square the hard computer would choose.
Next, read the Sea Battle strategy guide. For another game of hidden pieces, try Army Chess.
Frequently asked questions
Can ships touch each other?
Not on kawu: there's always at least one square of water between ships, even diagonally. That rule lets you rule out the squares around a sunk ship.
Do I get another turn when I hit?
Yes. A hit earns another shot, so a lucky streak can sink a ship in one turn.
Can I place my own ships?
Your fleet is placed at random; press Shuffle as often as you like before your first shot to get a layout you like.
Last updated 2026-10-20