About Dots and Boxes
Dots and Boxes is a pencil-and-paper classic. Players alternate drawing a single horizontal or vertical line between two adjacent dots. Completing the fourth side of a 1×1 box claims it and grants an extra turn. When the grid is full, the player with more boxes wins.
How to play
- On your turn, draw one line between two neighbouring dots.
- Complete a box to claim it — then move again.
- Keep claiming while you can chain completed boxes.
- The player with the most boxes at the end wins.
Tips & strategy
- Avoid drawing the third side of a box — it gives your opponent a free box.
- Master the "double-cross" strategy: sacrifice two boxes to win the long chain.
- Count chain parity on larger boards.
Frequently asked questions
What is the double-cross strategy?
Declining the last two boxes of a chain so your opponent is forced to open the next, longer chain for you.