Inkwell Games · Stars

Inkwell Stars solution — December 28, 2025

Stuck on today's Inkwell Games Stars puzzle? Here's the complete step-by-step solution to the 10×10 grid for December 28, 2025 — every star placed with pure logic, one deduction at a time, no guessing. Step through it below.

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Solve walkthrough Step 1 of 70

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: This position would block too many candidates (row 5, column 2).
  3. Clump analysis (Region 5): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 3, column 2).
  4. Clump analysis (Region 1): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 1, column 2).
  5. Clump analysis (Region 3): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 2, column 5).
  6. Clump analysis (Region 6): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 6, column 7).
  7. Clump analysis (Region 7): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 6, column 4).
  8. Blocking rule: This position would block too many candidates (row 6, column 6).
  9. Clump analysis (Region 6): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 4, column 6).
  10. Lookahead: Placing star here leads to contradiction - Region 1 would only have room for 1 of the 2 stars it still needs (row 3, column 4).
  11. Joint analysis (Region 6 + Region 3): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 4, column 7).
  12. Clump analysis (Region 4): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 3, column 9).
  13. Triple analysis (Region 5 + Region 3 + Region 1): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 1, column 3).
  14. Triple analysis (Region 6 + Region 4 + Row 5): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 6, column 5).
  15. Composite container (rows 6-10): Regions 7, 8, 9 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 7, column 7).
  16. Clump analysis (Region 9): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 9, column 6).
  17. Triple analysis (Region 7 + Region 9 + Row 7): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 8, column 2).
  18. Triple analysis (Row 1 + Row 2 + Region 2): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 3, column 7).
  19. Triple analysis (Region 6 + Region 4 + Column 7): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 1, column 8).
  20. Quad analysis (Region 6 + Region 7 + Column 4 + Column 5): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 10, column 3).
  21. Deep lookahead: Placing star here leads to contradiction - Column 5 would only have room for 0 of the 1 star it still needs (row 2, column 1).
  22. Deep lookahead: Placing star here leads to contradiction - rows 1-3 must hold 6 stars but the regions there could only supply 5 (row 2, column 7).
  23. Deep lookahead: Placing star here leads to contradiction - stars at R5C5 and R5C6 would touch (row 2, column 9).
  24. Deep lookahead: Placing star here leads to contradiction - Row 8 would only have room for 0 of the 1 star it still needs (row 3, column 1).
  25. Crowding (Row 3): a star here would leave too little room for its 2 remaining stars (row 4, column 9).
  26. Clump analysis (Region 4): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 5, column 7).
  27. Three candidates with two adjacent: Isolated candidate must have star (row 7, column 6).
  28. Mark 4 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 7, column 5).
  29. Region completion: 2 stars needed, 2 candidates (row 8, column 9).
  30. Mark 5 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 7, column 9).
  31. Region completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 9, column 7).
  32. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 10, column 6).
  33. Column completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 1, column 7).
  34. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 1, column 6).
  35. Three candidates with two adjacent: Isolated candidate must have star (row 10, column 10).
  36. Mark 1 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 10, column 9).
  37. Two-option rule: Cell adjacent to both candidates (row 5, column 10).
  38. Two last candidates (row 7): Eliminate 2 cells adjacent to both (row 6, column 3).
  39. Row completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 8, column 1).
  40. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 9, column 1).
  41. Three candidates with two adjacent: Isolated candidate must have star (row 9, column 3).
  42. Mark 3 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 9, column 4).
  43. Row 9 complete: Mark 1 remaining cells as X (row 9, column 5).
  44. Clump analysis (Column 8): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 6, column 9).
  45. Region completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 6, column 10).
  46. Column completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 1, column 9).
  47. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 1, column 10).
  48. Region complete: Mark 3 remaining cells as X (row 1, column 5).
  49. Row 1 complete: Mark 1 remaining cells as X (row 1, column 1).
  50. Row 3 candidates: Middle cell cannot have star (row 2, column 3).
  51. Region completion: 2 stars needed, 2 candidates (row 2, column 2).
  52. Region completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 4, column 1).
  53. Mark 1 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 4, column 2).
  54. Row completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 2, column 4).
  55. Mark 1 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 3, column 5).
  56. Row completion: 2 stars needed, 2 candidates (row 3, column 6).
  57. Region complete: Mark 2 remaining cells as X (row 4, column 4).
  58. Row completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 3, column 8).
  59. Mark 1 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 4, column 8).
  60. Row completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 4, column 3).
  61. Column 1 complete: Mark 2 remaining cells as X (row 6, column 1).
  62. Region completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 6, column 2).
  63. Mark 1 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 7, column 3).
  64. Region completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 7, column 4).
  65. Region completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 10, column 5).
  66. Row 6 complete: Mark 1 remaining cells as X (row 6, column 8).
  67. Region completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 5, column 8).
  68. Column completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 5, column 5).
  69. Mark 1 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 5, column 6).
  70. Solved! Every row, column, and region has its two stars, none touching.

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This is an independent, logic-based walkthrough created by TryHard Puzzles to teach Star Battle solving technique. TryHard Puzzles is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Inkwell Games.