Free logic puzzle
Stars (Star Battle)
Also known as Star Battle or Queens
Place the stars: one in every row, every column and every coloured region, and none of them may touch.
In your browser, no account needed. Or get the app and play offline.
How to play
- Place one star in every row, every column and every coloured region.
- Stars never touch, not even at a corner. Two stars that break a rule turn red and count as a mistake.
- Tap a square once to mark it empty, twice for a star. Drag to mark several. A hint shows where a star belongs.
First moves
Small regions first
Find the smallest coloured region. A region of one square holds its star right there. A region of two or three squares in a line pins its star to that row or column, so the rest of that line is empty. Cross those squares out before anything else.
Clear around every star
When you place a star, cross out the rest of its row, its column and its region, and the eight squares around it. Stars never touch, not even at a corner. Each star wipes out a lot of the board, which often leaves another row or region with just one square.
A region inside one row
If every open square of a region sits in the same row, that region's star will be in that row. So no other region can use that row: cross out its other squares. The same works for columns, and the hints in the app point this out when it applies.
Groups of regions
Two regions that fit only inside the same two rows take both stars of those rows between them. Every other square in those two rows is then empty. Spotting such groups, of two or three regions and rows, is the key to the Hard and Expert levels.
Leave every region room
Before placing a star, check its neighbours. A star next to a small region can cross out every square that region has left, and then that region has nowhere for its star. A square that would do this stays empty, even if nothing else rules it out yet.
Origin
Star Battle is a Dutch puzzle. Hans Eendebak created it for the 2003 World Puzzle Championship in Arnhem, in the Netherlands.
A Star Battle can ask for one, two or more stars in every row, column and region. Stars uses one, on grids from 6 by 6 on Easy to 9 by 9 on Expert. The one-star version is also published as Queens.
Sources: GM Puzzles: Star Battle Rules and Info, GM Puzzles: Star Battle (also known as Queens)
Why play it here
- Every puzzle has exactly one solution, and logic gets you there.
- Four levels: Easy, Medium, Hard and Expert.
- A new daily puzzle for everyone, and, with Premium, every past daily since 1 January 2026.
- Three free hints a day that explain the next step.
- Challenge a friend with a link to the very same puzzle.
Questions
Is Stars the same as Queens?
It is the same kind of puzzle. Queens is a one-star Star Battle: one queen, or star, in every row, column and region, and none of them touching, not even diagonally. Stars plays by exactly those rules.
Does every Stars puzzle have one solution?
Yes. Every grid has exactly one way to place the stars, and you can find it by logic alone. A hint shows where a star belongs or which squares can be crossed out, and why.
How many stars go in each row?
One. Star Battle puzzles elsewhere can use two or more stars per row, column and region, but every Stars puzzle here uses one.
Get the app
Download on the App Store (coming soon) Get it on Google Play