Inkwell Stars solution — August 14, 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 3, column 3).
3. Blocking rule: a star here would touch every other open cell in its region, leaving no room for the region's second star (row 3, column 8).
4. 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).
5. 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 8).
6. Clump analysis (Region 4): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 2, column 2).
7. Clump analysis (Region 5): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 2, column 7).
8. Clump analysis (Region 8): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 7, column 2).
9. Clump analysis (Region 9): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 7, column 7).
10. Region dichotomy: Region 4 has only two ways to place its stars, and both rule these cells out (row 1, column 8).
11. Blocking rule: a star here would touch every other open cell in its region, leaving no room for the region's second star (row 6, column 6).
12. Clump analysis (Region 7): candidate clumps can only just supply the remaining stars (row 5, column 5).
13. Region dichotomy: Region 7 has only two ways to place its stars, and both rule these cells out (row 6, column 9).
14. Triple analysis (Region 7 + Region 9 + Row 7): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 7, column 10).
15. Triple analysis (Region 7 + Region 9 + Column 7): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 10, column 7).
16. Quad analysis (Region 7 + Column 7 + Row 4 + Region 6): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 5, column 2).
17. Quad analysis (Row 8 + Column 8 + Row 9 + Column 9): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 10, column 10).
18. Generalized counting (columns 10-10): region star limits exclude these cells (row 1, column 9).
19. Deep lookahead: Placing star here leads to contradiction - Region 6 would only have room for 0 of the 1 star it still needs (row 1, column 2).
20. Joint analysis (Region 8 + Column 2): every legal combination of their stars rules these cells out (row 7, column 3).
21. Region completion: 2 stars needed, 2 candidates (row 8, column 2).
22. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 8, column 4).
23. Region completion: 2 stars needed, 2 candidates (row 7, column 8).
24. Mark 1 cell adjacent to stars as X (row 6, column 7).
25. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 9, column 8).
26. Mark 1 cell adjacent to stars as X (row 10, column 9).
27. Row completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 7, column 6).
28. Mark 1 cell adjacent to stars as X (row 6, column 5).
29. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 5, column 6).
30. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 4, column 5).
31. Row completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 9, column 10).
32. Column 6 complete: Mark 4 remaining cells as X (row 1, column 6).
33. Column completion: 2 stars needed, 2 candidates (row 1, column 7).
34. Mark 1 cell adjacent to stars as X (row 2, column 8).
35. Column completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 3, column 7).
36. Mark 1 cell adjacent to stars as X (row 4, column 8).
37. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 3, column 9).
38. Mark 3 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 2, column 10).
39. Row 3 complete: Mark 4 remaining cells as X (row 3, column 1).
40. Region completion: 2 stars needed, 2 candidates (row 2, column 3).
41. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 1, column 3).
42. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 4, column 3).
43. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 5, column 3).
44. Row completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 4, column 1).
45. Mark 1 cell adjacent to stars as X (row 5, column 1).
46. Column 3 complete: Mark 2 remaining cells as X (row 6, column 3).
47. Region completion: 2 stars needed, 2 candidates (row 5, column 9).
48. Mark 2 cells adjacent to stars as X (row 5, column 10).
49. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 1, column 10).
50. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 6, column 4).
51. Row 1 complete: Mark 2 remaining cells as X (row 1, column 1).
52. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 2, column 5).
53. Row 2 complete: Mark 1 remaining cell as X (row 2, column 1).
54. Column 4 complete: Mark 1 remaining cell as X (row 10, column 4).
55. Region completion: 2 stars needed, 2 candidates (row 10, column 2).
56. Mark 1 cell adjacent to stars as X (row 10, column 1).
57. Region completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 10, column 5).
58. Column completion: 1 star needed, 1 candidate (row 6, column 1).
59. Mark 1 cell adjacent to stars as X (row 6, column 2).
60. Solved! Every row, column, and region has its two stars, none touching.