Featured: ChessDots and Boxes Online: Play Free vs Computer or Friends
Draw a line, close a box and go again. Four computer levels up to Expert, 3x3, 5x5 and 7x7 boards, and best of 3 or 5 matches.
Tap between two dots to draw a line. Close a box to take it and draw again.
How to play Dots and Boxes
Pick a mode
Play the computer on Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert, or open a private room for two to four friends.
Draw a line
Tap or click between two dots that sit side by side. Each turn you draw one line, across or down.
Close a box
Draw the fourth side of a box and it turns your color. You then draw again, so one turn can take a whole chain.
Most boxes wins
When every line is drawn, the player who owns the most boxes wins the round.
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Dots and Boxes rules
Dots and Boxes is a pen and paper classic, also called the dot game, boxes, squares or pigs in a pen. The board is a grid of dots. Players take turns joining two neighboring dots with a straight line, across or down, never on a slant.
When your line completes the fourth side of a box, you claim it: the box fills with your color and your initial, and you must draw another line. A single line can even close two boxes at once. Your turn ends only when you draw a line that does not finish a box. When the last line is drawn, the player with the most boxes wins the round.
Matches can be a single game, best of 3 or best of 5. Each round goes to the player with the most boxes, and a shared top score counts as a drawn round. Players take turns starting the rounds. If round wins are level at the end, the total number of boxes across the match decides.
Computer levels and boards
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Easy | Draws lines almost at random and only sometimes grabs a free box. Perfect for kids. |
| Medium | Always takes free boxes and avoids drawing a third side while it can. |
| Hard | Counts the chains in the endgame and always gives away the smallest one. |
| Expert | Uses the double cross and the long chain rule. Perfect play on 3x3. |
| Board | 3x3 (9 boxes), 5x5 (25 boxes) or 7x7 (49 boxes). |
| Match | A single game, best of 3 or best of 5 rounds. |
Your wins and losses are saved for every level and board on this device.
Dots and Boxes strategy: how to win
Never draw the third side early. A box with three sides is a free gift for the next player. In the opening, draw lines that leave every box with two sides or fewer. These are safe moves, and the player who runs out of safe moves first usually has to give something away.
Think in chains and loops. As the board fills up, the boxes link into chains, rows of boxes where taking one opens the next, and loops, chains that close on themselves. Once no safe move is left, every line hands your rival a chain or a loop. Give away the shortest one you can.
Learn the double cross. When your rival opens a long chain, you do not have to take all of it. Take every box except the last two, then draw the line at the far end instead. Your rival gets two boxes but must open the next chain for you. In a loop the same trick leaves four boxes. This all but two move is called the double cross, and it is how you keep control to the end.
Use the long chain rule. Long chains, three boxes or more, decide most games. On the 3x3, 5x5 and 7x7 boards here the first player wants an even number of long chains and the second player wants an odd number. Count the chains that are forming before the safe moves run out, and split or join chains to fix the count in your favor.
Sacrifice to win. Giving away one or two boxes early is often worth it if your rival must then open the first long chain.
Playing the computer
Pick a level, a board and the match length, then press Play. Easy and Medium are friendly ways to learn the rules, and Hard punishes a careless third side. Expert plays the 3x3 board perfectly and reads chains and double crosses on 5x5 and 7x7, so beating it is a real achievement.
Playing friends online
Choose Play friends online and create a room, then share the 6 character code or the invite link. Two to four players can join, each with their own color. The host picks the board and the match length, the starting player rotates every round, and every line is checked by the host so the score stays in sync on all screens. If someone leaves mid game, their turn is skipped and their boxes stay on the board. After the match a rematch is one tap away.
Why play Dots and Boxes
It looks simple, yet it rewards counting and planning ahead. A 3x3 round takes a minute, and a 7x7 match is a proper brain workout.
Dots and Boxes FAQ
How do you play Dots and Boxes?
Players take turns drawing one line between two dots that sit next to each other. When your line closes the fourth side of a box, the box is yours and you must draw another line. When every line is drawn, the player with the most boxes wins.
Do you get another turn after completing a box?
Yes. Completing a box always gives you another turn, so one move can start a chain of boxes. Your turn only ends when you draw a line that does not close a box.
Can I play Dots and Boxes against the computer?
Yes. Choose vs Computer and pick Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert. Easy plays loosely, Medium never hands you a third side if it can help it, Hard plays the endgame well and Expert uses the double cross and the long chain rule.
How do I play Dots and Boxes with friends online?
Choose Play friends online, create a room and share the 6 character code or the invite link. Two to four players can join from any phone, tablet or computer. The host picks the board and the match length.
What is the double cross in Dots and Boxes?
When your rival opens a long chain, you can take every box except the last two and then draw the line at the far end. Your rival gets those two boxes but must then open the next chain for you. This all but two trick is how strong players keep control.
What is the long chain rule?
Chains of three or more boxes decide most games. On the boards here the player who moves first wants an even number of long chains and the second player wants an odd number, because that decides who has to open the first long chain.
Which board size should I choose?
3x3 boxes is quick and great for learning, with nine boxes to share. 5x5 is the classic length with real chains and loops. 7x7 has 49 boxes and long endgames, and it still fits on a phone screen.
Is this Dots and Boxes game free?
Yes. It is free to play in your browser with no download and no sign up. Your record against each computer level is saved on your device only.
More board and strategy games
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