Dots and Boxes

• Strategy
• Regions
• Spatial

Claim more boxes than the CPU by joining dots and controlling chains to dominate the endgame.

1. On each turn, draw one horizontal or vertical line between two adjacent dots.
2. If a line completes the fourth side of a box, you claim that box and play again. A single line can complete two boxes at once.
3. The game ends when no free lines remain. The player with more boxes wins; equal scores are a draw.

• Do not offer a box’s third side without examining the chain you may open; controlling who starts a chain often decides the game.
• Take an available box before giving up the turn unless you are deliberately setting up a sequence.
• Avoid drawing the third side of a box when a safe line exists: it usually hands the point to the CPU.
• Chains matter in the endgame: opening a long chain can let your opponent collect several boxes in a row.

We do not yet have a sufficiently verified account of this game’s origins. Rather than guess, we avoid attributing a date or creator without reliable evidence.

• Take an available box before giving up the turn unless you are deliberately setting up a sequence.
• Avoid drawing the third side of a box when a safe line exists: it usually hands the point to the CPU.
• Chains matter in the endgame: opening a long chain can let your opponent collect several boxes in a row.

• Where should I begin? Do not offer a box’s third side without examining the chain you may open; controlling who starts a chain often decides the game.
• What makes this game different? The game ends when no free lines remain. The player with more boxes wins; equal scores are a draw.