How to play Dots and Boxes
- Choose a board before you start: 3 × 3, 4 × 4 or 5 × 5 boxes. The board is a grid of dots with no lines yet.
- Take turns drawing one line between two dots that are next to each other, across or up and down.
- If your line draws the fourth side of a box, the box is yours. It fills with your colour, and you draw again straight away. One line can close two boxes at once.
- When every line has been drawn, the player with more boxes wins.
- Orange goes first in the first round, and the first move switches every round after that.
The small and large boards have an odd number of boxes, so there is always a winner. On the 4 × 4 board, 8 boxes each is a draw.
Controls
| Device | How to play |
|---|---|
| Phone or tablet | Tap the gap between two dots to draw a line there |
| Mouse | Click between two dots. The line shows in your colour before you click |
| Keyboard | Press Tab to move from line to line, and Enter to draw one |
The counters above the board show how many boxes each player has, and the last line drawn has a yellow glow.
Computer levels
The computer sees only the board, just like you. Its levels differ in how much of the game's strategy it knows.
| Level | How the computer plays |
|---|---|
| Easy | Usually takes a box when it can, but sometimes misses one or draws the third side of a box when it doesn't have to. Good for learning. |
| Medium | Always takes free boxes, and never gives you a box while it has another choice. When it has to give something away, it gives as little as it can. |
| Hard | Plays like Medium, and also knows the endgame trick: when you open a long chain, it can hand back the last two boxes so that you have to open the next one. |
| Expert | Also plans the last quiet moves of the game, before anyone has to give boxes away, so that you end up opening the long chains. Very hard to beat. |
Tips to win
- Don't draw a third side. A box with three sides is a gift for your rival. Draw lines that leave every box with two sides or fewer for as long as you can.
- Give away the short chains first. When every line gives something away, open the smallest group of boxes.
- Split a pair down the middle. If you must give away two boxes side by side, draw the line between them. Your rival then can't use the trick below on you.
- Learn the double-cross. When your rival opens a long chain, take all of it except the last two boxes, then draw the line at the far end. Your rival gets those two boxes but then has to open the next chain for you.
- Count the long chains. Near the end, chains of three or more boxes decide the game. Whoever is forced to open the first long chain usually loses, so plan your last quiet moves with that in mind.
About Dots and Boxes
Dots and Boxes was first described in print in 1889 by the French mathematician Édouard Lucas, who called it "la pipopipette". It has been a favourite on the back of school notebooks ever since. It looks simple, but there is real mathematics behind it: the American mathematician Elwyn Berlekamp wrote a whole book about its strategy. Most players learn the double-cross trick after losing to it once or twice.
Questions
Is Dots and Boxes free?
Yes. It's free to play in your browser, with no download and no sign-up. There are never ads during a game.
Can two people play on one phone?
Yes. Choose 2 Players and take turns on the same screen. Lines and boxes show the colour of the player who drew them, so you can always see who did what.
What happens when I close a box?
The box is yours and you draw another line straight away. If that line closes a box too, you keep going.
Which board should we choose?
The 3 × 3 board takes a couple of minutes and is great for learning. The 4 × 4 board is a good everyday game, and the 5 × 5 board is longer, with more chains to think about.
Updated 6 November 2026