“You Sunk My Battleship”

I had an eye opening moment last week while teaching a kid how to play Battleship.

The rules of Battleship are to set up your five ships on your own ocean grid, keeping them hidden from your opponent. On your turn, you call out a coordinate to fire at a grid square on your opponent’s targeting grid. Your opponent responds with “miss” or “hit” and you mark your targeting grid with white pegs for misses and red pegs for hits. When a ship has all its holes filled with red pegs, it is sunk.

The first player to sink all of their opponent’s ships wins.  

While playing the game I noticed my friend getting frustrated every time she would miss my ship coordinates. When she missed I would respond with… 

“It is ok if you miss…each time you miss you gather more information on where your targets ARE located. Keep playing.”

I noticed as we continued she would use the “White Pegs” to her advantage and hunt down each and every one of my ships over time! 

This simple game and time with my friend left me with this:

1. I get to choose to stay in the game. 
2. Missing a target can give you valuable information on what to do next. Pay attention. 
3. Keep firing away at what is important to you. 

Does anyone want to meet me in the yard for a game of Battleship? Email me: Meredith@deucegym.com