Expert Star Battle answer — November 1, 2026

Full written solution

Every deduction from the walkthrough above, in order. Each technique is explained in the Star Battle strategy guide.

1. Starting position — the grid is split into regions (bold outlines). Each row, column, and region needs exactly two stars, and no two stars may touch.
2. Blocking rule: a star here would touch every other open cell in its region, leaving no room for the region's second star (row 8, column 3).
3. Clump analysis (Region 7): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 2, column 7).
4. Clump analysis (Region 9): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 7, column 2).
5. Clump analysis (Region 10): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 3, column 6).
6. Generalized counting (rows 1-1): region star limits exclude these cells (row 1, column 5).
7. Lookahead: Placing star here leads to contradiction - row 1 can only hold 2 stars but the regions there would be forced to place 3 (row 3, column 2).
8. Clump analysis (Region 3): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 3, column 4).
9. Composite container (rows 3-10): Regions 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 and 9 are confined here, so the leftover cells owe exactly 4 of the band's 16 stars - a star on these cells would crowd them out (row 4, column 4).
10. Lookahead: Placing star here leads to contradiction - row 1 can only hold 2 stars but the regions there would be forced to place 3 (row 3, column 8).
11. Lookahead: Placing star here leads to contradiction - Region 10 would only have room for 1 of the 2 stars it still needs (row 2, column 9).
12. Lookahead: Placing star here leads to contradiction - row 1 can only hold 2 stars but the regions there would be forced to place 3 (row 1, column 7).
13. Blocking rule: a star here would touch every other open cell in its region, leaving no room for the region's second star (row 1, column 9).
14. Three candidates with two adjacent: Isolated candidate must hold a star (row 1, column 10).
15. Clump analysis (Region 4): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 1, column 8).
16. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 2, column 8).
17. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 3, column 7).
18. Three candidates with two adjacent: Isolated candidate must hold a star (row 2, column 6).
19. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 2, column 5).
20. Row 2 complete: Mark 4 remaining cells as X (row 2, column 1).
21. Two-option rule: Cell adjacent to both candidates (row 5, column 6).
22. Two-option rule: Cell adjacent to both candidates (row 5, column 7).
23. Clump analysis (Row 1): each clump must supply its full share of stars (row 3, column 1).
24. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 4, column 1).
25. Crowding (Region 3): a star here would leave too little room for its 2 remaining stars (row 5, column 4).
26. Composite container (columns 7-10): Regions 2 and 6 are confined here, so the leftover cells owe exactly 2 of the band's 8 stars - a star on these cells would crowd them out (row 5, column 8).
27. Composite container (columns 6-10): Regions 2, 6 and 10 are confined here, so the leftover cells owe exactly 2 of the band's 10 stars - a star on these cells would crowd them out (row 9, column 7).
28. Joint analysis (Region 3 + Row 5): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 6, column 2).
29. Lookahead: Placing star here leads to contradiction - column 1 can only hold 2 stars but the regions there would be forced to place 3 (row 5, column 3).
30. Three candidates with two adjacent: Isolated candidate must hold a star (row 4, column 5).
31. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 4, column 6).
32. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 4, column 7).
33. Mark 1 cell adjacent to stars as X (row 4, column 8).
34. Row 4 complete: Mark 3 remaining cells as X (row 4, column 3).
35. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 3, column 3).
36. Row 3 complete: Mark 1 remaining cell as X (row 3, column 10).
37. Clump analysis (Row 5): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 6, column 1).
38. Clump analysis (Region 2): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 8, column 10).
39. Clump analysis (Region 2): each clump must supply its full share of stars (row 5, column 10).
40. Mark 1 cell adjacent to stars as X (row 5, column 9).
41. Column 10 complete: Mark 1 remaining cell as X (row 7, column 10).
42. Two-option rule: Cell adjacent to both candidates (row 7, column 8).
43. Two-option rule: Cell adjacent to both candidates (row 8, column 8).
44. Clump analysis (Column 9): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 9, column 8).
45. Column completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 6, column 8).
46. Mark 3 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 6, column 7).
47. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 8, column 9).
48. Mark 1 cell adjacent to stars as X (row 9, column 9).
49. Column completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 10, column 9).
50. Region complete: Mark 1 remaining cell as X (row 8, column 7).
51. Column completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 10, column 7).
52. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 9, column 6).
53. Row 10 complete: Mark 5 remaining cells as X (row 10, column 1).
54. Blocking rule: a star here would touch every other open cell in its region, leaving no room for the region's second star (row 7, column 5).
55. Column completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 6, column 5).
56. Mark 4 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 6, column 4).
57. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 8, column 6).
58. Row 6 complete: Mark 1 remaining cell as X (row 6, column 3).
59. Row completion: 2 stars needed, 2 candidates (row 7, column 1).
60. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 8, column 1).
61. Row completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 7, column 3).
62. Mark 1 cell adjacent to stars as X (row 8, column 4).
63. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 9, column 4).
64. Column 1 complete: Mark 3 remaining cells as X (row 1, column 1).
65. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 5, column 2).
66. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 9, column 2).
67. Column 2 complete: Mark 1 remaining cell as X (row 1, column 2).
68. Column 3 complete: Mark 1 remaining cell as X (row 1, column 3).
69. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 1, column 4).
70. Solved! Every row, column, and region has its two stars, none touching.