How to Play Battleship Without Grid Paper

Draw Your Own Board

• 1

  Draw two boxes on a piece of paper using a ruler. The boxes should be 5 inches by 5 inches. If you use a permanent marker, you can play the game with pencils and erase the marks so that the grids you draw can be reused. Refer to the References section for images of the game board.

• 2

  Draw a line every half-inch connecting the top of the box with the bottom of the box, and the right side of the box with the left side of the box. Extend the lines beyond the box slightly. You should now have a 5-inch by 5-inch box with a 10 by 10 grid inside. Each square in the 10 by 10 grid should be a half-inch by a half-inch. Do this to both boxes.

• 3

  Label the grid with numbers 1 through 10 on the top of the box. Each column should have a number above it starting with 1; for example, the first column has a 1 above it, the second column has a 2, and so on. Label the left side of the box with the letters A through J, starting with A. The first row will have an A next to it, the second will have a B, and so on. Do this to both boxes.

• 4

  Repeat the previous three steps so that you have two identical pieces of paper, each with a 5-inch by 5-inch box labeled 1 through 10 along the top, and A through J along the left side.

Playing

• 5

  Mark where you want to place your ships on the lower box on your piece of paper. There are five ships in all, one that occupies five squares, one that occupies four squares, two that occupy three squares, and one that occupies two squares. Don't let your opponent see where you draw your ships. Draw in pencil so the game boards can be reused.

• 6

  Take turns calling out a square using the grid; for example, A4, or J10. Mark the squares in the upper box with an X when you do not hit an opponent's ship, and mark them with an O when you do hit a ship. You do not have to mark either of your grids when the opponent calls out a space, unless he hits one of your ships.

• 7

  Say "hit" when the opponent calls out a square that one of your ships occupies. Mark that space on the lower board.

• 8

  Sink a ship by hitting all the squares it occupies. When a ship is sunk, the player whom the ship belongs to must tell the opposing player that the ship has been "sunk."

• 9

  Win the game by sinking all of your opponent's ships.