The Ultimate Guide to Star Battle Puzzles: Master the Logic of Queens and Two Not Touch

If you have spent any time on LinkedIn or browsing the New York Times puzzle page recently, you have likely encountered a grid-based challenge that looks deceptively simple. Whether you know them as star battle puzzles, "Two Not Touch," or the viral sensation "Queens," these logic-based games have taken the world by storm in late 2024 and 2025. As a professional crossword constructor, I have watched many puzzle formats rise and fall, but Star Battle has a unique staying power. It combines the spatial reasoning of Sudoku with the elimination tactics of Minesweeper, creating a "flow state" that is hard to match.

The premise is straightforward: place a specific number of stars in a grid so that each row, column, and outlined region contains exactly that number of stars. The catch? No two stars can touch—not even on the corners. While the rules take seconds to learn, mastering the higher-level logic requires a keen eye for patterns and a disciplined approach to elimination.

The History and Rise of Star Battle

The star battle puzzle was originally created by Hans Eendebak for the 2003 World Puzzle Championship in Arnhem, Netherlands. For nearly two decades, it remained a staple of competitive logic championships and niche enthusiast sites like Grandmaster Puzzles. However, the landscape shifted dramatically between 2024 and 2026.

In May 2024, LinkedIn launched "Queens," a 1-star version of the game designed as a "productivity break" for professionals. By the end of that year, the platform reported over 100,000 daily active players. Simultaneously, the New York Times popularized the 2-star variant under the name "Two Not Touch." This dual-branding has led to a massive resurgence, making Star Battle the "new Sudoku" for a generation of mobile-first solvers.

The Fundamental Rules

Before diving into advanced strategies, we must understand the three immutable laws of star battle puzzles. If a puzzle is "broken," it is almost always because one of these rules was accidentally overlooked.

1. The Star Count: Every row, every column, and every outlined "territory" (region) must contain the exact number of stars specified (usually 1 or 2).
2. The No-Touch Rule: Stars cannot touch each other horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Every star must effectively have a "moat" of empty space around it.
3. Logic Only: A properly constructed puzzle has exactly one unique solution. You should never have to guess.

Standard Grid Layouts

Essential Strategies for Beginners

When you first open a 10x10 grid with 20 stars to place, it can feel overwhelming. The secret is to stop looking for where stars are and start looking for where they cannot be.

1. The Power of X's

In the world of competitive solving, we say the game is won with X's, not stars. Every time you place a star, you should immediately place an 'X' in all eight surrounding cells (if the star isn't on an edge). Additionally, you can X out the remaining cells in that star's row, column, and region once the required count is met.

2. Singleton and Small Regions

Look for regions that are very small or highly constrained. If a region only consists of two cells, and they are adjacent, you know exactly where the stars can't go in the neighboring regions because of the "no-touch" rule. In a 2-star puzzle, if a region has only three cells in a straight line, the stars must occupy the two ends to avoid touching each other.

3. Linear Region Logic

If an entire region is contained within a single row or column, that is a goldmine. Since that region must contain its allotted stars, and those stars are already "occupying" that row or column, no other stars can exist in the rest of that row or column outside of that specific region.

Intermediate Tactics: The 2x2 Rule

Once you move past the 1-star "Queens" variant and into 2-star or 3-star territory, you need more sophisticated tools. The most powerful of these is the 2x2 Rule.

In any star battle puzzle, a 2x2 square of cells can contain, at most, one star. Why? Because any two cells within a 2x2 square are either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally adjacent. If you placed two stars in a 2x2 area, they would violate the no-touch rule.

Real-World Example: The "L-Shape" Region

Imagine a region shaped like a small "L" that fits inside a 2x2 area. Even if the region rules say it needs two stars, if the region itself fits within a 2x2 square, you immediately know the puzzle is impossible or you have misread the rules. More practically, if a row is squeezed so that only one 2x2 area remains open for a region's stars, you can use this to eliminate neighboring cells.

Advanced Logic: The Pigeonhole Principle

For those tackling 14x14 grids or "Fiendish" difficulty levels, you will eventually encounter a "logical bottleneck." This is where standard eliminations stop working. This is where the Pigeonhole Principle comes in.

This logic looks at groups of rows or columns. For example, in a 10x10 2-star puzzle, any two rows must contain exactly 4 stars total. If you can identify two regions that are entirely contained within those two rows, then those two regions must account for all 4 stars in those rows.

The Result: You can place an 'X' in every other cell in those two rows that does not belong to those two specific regions. This often breaks the puzzle wide open.

Example: The Top Two Rows

1. Identify that Row 1 and Row 2 need 4 stars total.
2. Find Region A and Region B, which both exist only in Rows 1 and 2.
3. Since Region A needs 2 stars and Region B needs 2 stars, all 4 stars for those rows are "trapped" in those regions.
4. Any other region that "bleeds" into Row 1 or 2 can have its cells in those rows X'ed out.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even seasoned experts make mistakes in logic puzzles. Here are the most common pitfalls:

• The Chess Queen Trap: Many players coming from chess think stars act like Queens and cannot share a diagonal at all. This is false. Stars can be on the same diagonal line; they just cannot be in adjacent diagonal cells.
• Forgetting the Count: In a 2-star puzzle, players often find one star, mark the region as "done" in their heads, and move on. Always check the "2☆" or "1☆" requirement at the top of the grid.
• Ignoring the "Moat": It is easy to place a star and forget to X out the diagonal corners. This is the #1 reason a puzzle becomes "unsolvable" later on.
• Guessing: If you feel you have to guess, you have likely missed a 2x2 elimination or a Pigeonhole opportunity. Guessing in Star Battle usually leads to a contradiction 10-15 moves later, which is frustrating to unwind.

Recent Trends (2025–2026)

The world of star battle puzzles has evolved with technology. In 2025, we have seen the rise of "AI-proof" construction. Puzzle designers now use algorithms to ensure that while a puzzle has one solution, it requires specific "human" pattern recognition—like spotting irregular region overlaps—that simple computer solvers struggle to prioritize.

Furthermore, modern apps have introduced the "Auto-X" feature. When you place a star, the app automatically fills the surrounding 3x3 area with X's. While some purists (like myself) prefer the manual tactile feel of marking every cell, "Auto-X" has made the game much more accessible for mobile play during commutes.

Conclusion: The New Era of Logic

Star Battle puzzles represent the perfect modern game: they are quick to play, require no specialized knowledge, and provide a genuine sense of intellectual satisfaction. Whether you are playing the 1-star "Queens" variant to boost your "daily streak" on social media or tackling a "Grandmaster" 3-star 14x14 grid, the logic remains beautifully consistent.

By focusing on your X's, mastering the 2x2 rule, and looking for those vital Pigeonhole opportunities, you will quickly move from a novice to a competitive solver. The "Two Not Touch" movement is only growing, so there has never been a better time to sharpen your pencil—or your touchscreen.