Mark around every star

Beginner technique

What should you do straight after placing a star?

Rule out every tile that touches it, including diagonally, and then check whether its row, column or region now has both stars. If one does, rule out every other tile in it.

2 stars are placed. Every dotted tile touches one of them or sits in a row, column or region that already has two, so none can hold a star.

This is bookkeeping, not deduction, but it is where most progress comes from. A single star removes up to eight neighbouring tiles, and a finished row removes six more. Solvers who get stuck have usually missed a mark, not a clever technique.

Try it on a board

Stuck? Hint names the next step in words.

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