Section 5: Scoring & Winning
Winning a Single Game
The game ends immediately when one player sinks the opponent’s fifth and final ship. The player who fired that shot wins. A standard fleet has 17 occupied spaces, so winning requires successful hits on all 17 distinct ship spaces.
There is no draw in an ordinary alternating-turn game because only one player fires at a time. The second player does not receive an equalizing final turn after the first player destroys the entire opposing fleet.
Verification
After the final ship is sunk, both players reveal their fleet grids. They should confirm that the winning player recorded all required hits and that every ship was placed legally. An honest recording error that did not change the result may be corrected after discussion. Deliberate concealment, movement, or false reporting results in loss of the game.
Optional Match Scoring
For a multi-game match, use one of these agreed scoring systems:
- Best-of series: Award one game win to the victor. The first player to win two games in a best-of-three series, or three games in a best-of-five series, wins the match.
- Victory points: Award one point for each game won. The player with the most points after a predetermined number of games wins.
- Survival score: The winner scores one point for every unhit space remaining among the winner’s surviving ships. This can serve as a tiebreaker across several games.
- Fleet score: At an agreed stopping time, each player receives one point for every opposing ship space hit. A completely sunk ship may also earn an agreed bonus.
When playing several games, alternate the starting player. If using survival or fleet scoring, announce the exact scoring method before the first setup so neither player can adjust the rules after seeing a result.