Dots and Boxes

Dots and Boxes starts with a grid of dots and no lines. Players take turns drawing a line between two adjacent dots; whoever completes the fourth side of a box claims it and gets another turn.

The early game is about avoiding the third side of a box. Once every remaining move gives away a box, the game enters the endgame, where the player who can force a long chain usually wins. The CPU is greedy but careful: it takes completed boxes and avoids handing you easy ones.

A 4×4 box grid means 40 edges and a short, tense match. There is no timer and no luck.

How to play Dots and Boxes

• Click a gap between two dots to draw a line.
• Complete the fourth side of a box to claim it and play again.
• If your line does not complete a box, the turn passes to the CPU.
• When every edge is drawn, the player with more boxes wins.

Tips & strategy

Dots and Boxes is a trap-setting game. The player who is forced to open the first box usually loses the chain.

• Avoid drawing the third side of a box unless you can complete it immediately.
• Early on, play edges that do not touch any box with two sides already drawn.
• In the endgame, count the chain length before opening it; a long chain can decide the whole game.
• The double-cross strategy — leaving two boxes for the opponent and taking the longer chain — is worth learning.
• Keep the number of available safe moves in mind; parity often determines who is forced to open.
• If you must give away a box, give away the smallest chain, not the first one you see.

Controls

Questions