Dots and Boxes is the school notebook game where you draw lines between dots and try to close more boxes than your rival. This free version runs in your browser with no download or sign up, works on phones and computers, and keeps working offline once the page has loaded. Play the computer or hand the screen to a friend.
Inspired by: Dots and boxes, the pencil and paper game.
How to play Dots and Boxes
- Choose Vs computer or 2 players. The board is a grid of 5 by 5 dots.
- On your turn, draw one line between two neighbouring dots by clicking or tapping near the line.
- When your line closes the fourth side of a box, you win that box and your letter appears inside.
- Winning a box gives you another turn. Keep going until a line closes nothing.
- When all 16 boxes are taken, the player with more boxes wins.
Controls
- Keyboard: Arrow keys move the glowing line to the next free line, Space or Enter draws it.
- Mouse: Move near a free line to see a preview, then click to draw it.
- Touch screen: Tap near the line you want to draw. You do not need to hit it exactly.
Tips to score higher
- Avoid drawing the third side of a box. It hands that box to your rival.
- Early on, draw lines that do not create any box with two sides.
- Near the end, count the boxes in each chain. Try to leave the shortest chain for your rival.
- Sometimes giving up two boxes is worth it if it makes your rival open a long chain.
The story behind Dots and Boxes
Dots and boxes was described in 1889 by the French mathematician Edouard Lucas, who called it la pipopipette. It needs only paper and a pencil, so it spread easily through schools and families. Mathematicians still study it, because the end of the game is all about chains and the choice of who has to open them. A modern book called The Dots and Boxes Game by Elwyn Berlekamp explains the deep strategy. For many of us, it was the game we played in the last bench of the classroom, drawing dots on the back page and counting initials in the boxes.
Questions players ask
Is this dots and boxes game free?
Yes. It is free to play with no sign up, no download and no in-game purchases.
Do I get another turn when I close a box?
Yes. Closing a box gives you the next turn too, and you can keep going as long as each line closes a box.
How big is the board?
The board has 5 by 5 dots, which makes 16 boxes.
How does the computer play?
It takes any box it can, avoids drawing the third side of a box when it can, and otherwise gives away as few boxes as it can.
Can two people play on one phone?
Yes. Choose 2 players and pass the device after each turn.