Dots and Boxes

Players: Normally two but possibly more.

This game is more complex than it initially appears, and even on a 5×5 grid there is plenty of opportunity for skillful play.

You start by laying out a grid of dots of what ever size you prefer (5 x 5, 6 x 4 etc etc).

General Play

  • The two players take turns to join two adjacent dots with either a horizontal or vertical line.
  • If a player completes the fourth side of a box they initial that box
  • If you complete a box you must draw another line.

When all the boxes have been initialed the winner is the player who has completed the most boxes.

If you want to jump up the ranks towards mastery check out our little known strategy tip:

The secret is to NOT claim all of the squares in a given run. Towards the end of many games, it may be obvious who is going to win. If you are going to lose then by not claiming the last two squares of a long chain (three or more squares) you can change the sequence of who gets which run. With two squares left to complete simply leave a gap and add your line on the last square, which you are not completing, so your turn ends.

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