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Dots and boxes

You
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Computer
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Draws
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You 0Computer 0

Your turn: tap between two dots to draw a line.

How do you play dots and boxes?

Two players take turns drawing a line between two dots that sit next to each other, across or down. Whoever draws the fourth side of a box takes the box and draws again. When every line is drawn, the player with more boxes wins. Early on, avoid drawing the third side of a box: it hands the box to the other player.

How to play dots and boxes

  1. The board is a square of dots. Two players take turns.
  2. On your turn, draw one line between two dots next to each other, across or down.
  3. When your line closes the fourth side of a box, the box is yours and you draw another line. One line can close two boxes.
  4. The game ends when every line is drawn. The player with more boxes wins.

Tap between two dots to draw a line. Play the computer at Easy, Medium or Hard, on 3 by 3 to 6 by 6 boxes, or choose 2 players and take turns on one phone or computer. On a keyboard, press Tab to move from line to line and Enter to draw.

Dots and boxes strategy

  • Early on, never draw the third side of a box. The other player takes it, and draws again.
  • Late in the game, every line gives boxes away, and the boxes form chains. When you must give some away, give the shortest chain.
  • When the other player opens a long chain, take all of it but the last 2 boxes. Then draw the line at the far end of those 2, so they become a gift that the other player takes with one line. They must then draw again and open the next chain for you. This is the double cross.
  • The player who first has to open a long chain of 3 boxes or more usually loses. Count the chains early.

The French mathematician Édouard Lucas first published the game in the 19th century, as la pipopipette.

Questions

What is the trick to win dots and boxes?

Late in the game the boxes form chains, and every line gives some away. When the other player opens a long chain, take all of it but the last 2 boxes and give those 2 back with one line. They must then open the next chain for you. This move is called the double cross.

Do you have to draw again after you close a box?

Yes. Closing a box gives you another line, and you must draw it, even when it hands boxes to the other player. One line can close 2 boxes at once.

How good is the Hard computer?

When 16 lines or fewer are left, it checks every way the game can end and plays a best line, double crosses included. Before that it takes every box it can and gives none away while it can. Medium plays the same way without the search, and Easy takes a box only half the time.

Is dots and boxes unblocked at school?

It is a normal web page on lifesim.com, with no download and no sign-up, so it opens on most school Chromebooks. We can't promise that every school filter allows it. Once the page is open, the game needs no network.

Can two people play on one device?

Yes. Choose 2 players: blue and red take turns on the same phone or computer, and the page keeps the score of every game until you leave. Pick 3×3 for a quick game or 6×6 for a long one.

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