Inkwell Stars solution — March 20, 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: This position would block too many candidates (row 3, column 6).
3. Blocking rule: This position would block too many candidates (row 9, column 6).
4. Clump analysis (Column 1): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 10, column 2).
5. Clump analysis (Region 4): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 2, column 5).
6. Clump analysis (Region 10): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 8, column 5).
7. Lookahead: Placing star here leads to contradiction - row 1 must hold 2 stars but the regions there could only supply 1 (row 2, column 2).
8. Region dichotomy: Region 10 has only two ways to place its stars, and both rule these cells out (row 6, column 6).
9. Deep lookahead: Placing star here leads to contradiction - Column 4 would only have room for 0 of the 1 star it still needs (row 2, column 4).
10. Triple analysis (Region 3 + Region 7 + Column 2): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 8, column 3).
11. Quad analysis (Region 4 + Region 3 + Column 5 + Column 4): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 4, column 4).
12. Triple analysis (Region 3 + Region 6 + Row 5): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 5, column 2).
13. Deep lookahead: Placing star here leads to contradiction - Row 8 would only have room for 0 of the 2 stars it still needs (row 1, column 2).
14. Deep lookahead: Placing star here leads to contradiction - Region 9 would only have room for 0 of the 2 stars it still needs (row 2, column 6).
15. Three candidates with two adjacent: Isolated candidate must have star (row 3, column 7).
16. Mark 4 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 2, column 8).
17. Region completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 3, column 5).
18. Mark 1 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 3, column 4).
19. Row 3 complete: Mark 5 remaining cells as X (row 3, column 1).
20. Clump analysis (Region 3): each clump must supply its full share of stars (row 2, column 3).
21. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 1, column 3).
22. Clump analysis (Column 4): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 6, column 5).
23. Clump analysis (Region 5): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 2, column 1).
24. Row completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 2, column 9).
25. Mark 3 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 1, column 8).
26. Composite container (columns 2-4): Regions 3 and 7 are confined here, so the leftover cells owe exactly 2 of the band's 6 stars - a star on these cells would crowd them out (row 5, column 3).
27. Composite container (columns 8-10): Regions 5 and 8 are confined here, so the leftover cells owe exactly 2 of the band's 6 stars - a star on these cells would crowd them out (row 5, column 9).
28. Joint analysis (Region 10 + Column 4): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 7, column 5).
29. Joint analysis (Region 10 + Column 7): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 7, column 7).
30. Clump analysis (Region 9): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 8, column 9).
31. Joint analysis (Row 10 + Region 9): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 9, column 7).
32. Three candidates with two adjacent: Isolated candidate must have star (row 10, column 6).
33. Mark 1 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 9, column 5).
34. Region completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 8, column 6).
35. Column 6 complete: Mark 2 remaining cells as X (row 1, column 6).
36. Clump analysis (Region 6): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 5, column 4).
37. Region completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 4, column 3).
38. Mark 1 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 4, column 2).
39. Region completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 4, column 9).
40. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 4, column 10).
41. Row 4 complete: Mark 1 remaining cells as X (row 4, column 1).
42. Column 3 complete: Mark 2 remaining cells as X (row 7, column 3).
43. Column 9 complete: Mark 4 remaining cells as X (row 6, column 9).
44. Clump analysis (Column 2): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 6, column 1).
45. Squeeze (rows 5-6): each clump in the band must supply its full share of stars (row 6, column 10).
46. Mark 1 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 7, column 10).
47. Squeeze (columns 1-2): each clump in the band must supply its full share of stars (row 1, column 1).
48. Generalized counting (rows 1-1): region star limits exclude these cells (row 6, column 2).
49. Column 3 candidates: Middle cell cannot have star (row 8, column 2).
50. Column completion: 2 stars needed, 2 candidates (row 7, column 2).
51. Column completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 9, column 2).
52. Mark 1 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 10, column 1).
53. Region completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 5, column 1).
54. Region complete: Mark 1 remaining cells as X (row 7, column 4).
55. Row completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 7, column 8).
56. Mark 3 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 6, column 7).
57. Row completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 6, column 4).
58. Mark 1 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 5, column 5).
59. Region completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 5, column 7).
60. Column completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 1, column 5).
61. Region complete: Mark 1 remaining cells as X (row 1, column 7).
62. Three candidates with two adjacent: Isolated candidate must have star (row 9, column 8).
63. Mark 1 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 10, column 8).
64. Row 9 complete: Mark 2 remaining cells as X (row 9, column 4).
65. Region completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 8, column 4).
66. Row 8 complete: Mark 1 remaining cells as X (row 8, column 10).
67. Region completion: 1 stars needed, 1 candidates (row 10, column 10).
68. Solved! Every row, column, and region has its two stars, none touching.