About Dots and Boxes
Dots and Boxes is the pencil-and-paper game of lines and boxes, and the one where the clever part comes last. Early on, every line is free; later, every line gives something away, and the player who understands chains collects most of the boxes. Play on a grid from 4 × 4 to 7 × 7 dots against a robot at three levels (the Hard one counts chains and plays the ending exactly), with a friend on the same phone, or online with a friend who joins by code.
How to play Dots and Boxes
- Take turns drawing one line between two dots that are next to each other, across or down.
- Whoever draws the fourth side of a box claims it and must draw another line straight away.
- When every line is drawn, the player with more boxes wins. Choose a grid from 4 × 4 to 7 × 7 dots.
- Tap a line (each is a button, so Tab and Enter work too). Results are saved on this device.
Tips & strategy
- Never draw the third side of a box unless you have to: it hands the box to your opponent.
- When you must give something away, give the shortest chain. The long ones are the prize.
- Taking all the boxes in a chain is not always right. Leave the last two for your opponent and they must open the next chain for you.
- On a bigger grid, count the long chains before the safe lines run out: whoever is forced to open the first long chain usually loses.
Dots and Boxes: questions and answers
What happens when I close a box?
It is yours, marked with your colour, and you must draw another line at once. Closing several boxes in a row keeps the turn going.
How does the game end?
When every line is drawn. The player with more boxes wins; the same number is a draw, which can happen on grids with an even number of boxes.
How strong is the Hard robot?
It takes safe lines while they last, counts the chains, gives away the smallest one when it must, and plays the last few lines of a game by working them out exactly.
Can I use the keyboard?
Every line is a button: Tab moves between them and Enter draws one.