Star Battle is a pure-logic puzzle on a grid divided into regions. The goal: place stars so every row, every column and every region holds the same number of stars — and no two stars touch, not even diagonally. It's the puzzle LinkedIn's Queens is based on.
Here’s how it works and how to solve it.
▶ Play Dinodoku

The rules of Star Battle

  • Each row has exactly N stars.
  • Each column has exactly N stars.
  • Each region has exactly N stars.
  • No two stars touch — horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
  • Every puzzle has one solution, reachable by deduction.

1-star vs 2-star Star Battle

The “N” is the same across a puzzle. A 1-star Star Battle (one star per row, column and region) is the beginner version — and it is exactly LinkedIn’s Queens. The classic 2-star Star Battle is the harder, traditional form found in puzzle books.

Star Battle vs Queens

They are the same puzzle. Queens is a 1-star Star Battle with colour regions and a crown instead of a star, popularised by LinkedIn. Star Battle is the older, black-and-white name.

How to solve Star Battle

Work from the constraints: when a region, row or column can only fit its stars in certain cells, place them and rule out the neighbours. A placed star blocks its whole row, column, region and all eight adjacent cells. You never need to guess.

Where to play

Dinodoku is a free daily 1-star Star Battle (Queens-style) logic puzzle with colour regions and dinosaurs — play in your browser, no download.

FAQ

Is Star Battle the same as Queens?

Essentially yes. LinkedIn’s Queens is a 1-star Star Battle with colour regions. The rules — one piece per row, column and region, none touching — are identical.

How many stars are in Star Battle?

It depends on the puzzle: classic Star Battle uses two stars per row, column and region; the beginner (and Queens) version uses one.

Is Star Battle hard?

The 1-star version (Queens / Dinodoku) is very approachable; 2-star Star Battle is tougher. All of it is solvable by pure logic, with no guessing.
▶ Play Dinodoku