Dots and Boxes
Take turns drawing a line between two dots. Close a box and it is yours, and you move again. Whoever has more boxes at the end wins.
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The rules, in four steps.
- Three boards: 3×3 (9 boxes), 4×4 (16) and 5×5 (25). Each move draws one line between two neighbouring dots.
- Draw the fourth side of a box to claim it. Then you must draw another line.
- When every line is drawn, the player with more boxes wins. On 4×4 an 8–8 draw is possible.
- Online games are rated and played on 4×4: the first player is drawn at random, and each player has 90 seconds for the whole game.
The game from the back of the exercise book
Dots and Boxes is the game children draw on squared paper. Two players take turns joining two neighbouring dots with a line. Whoever draws the fourth side of a box claims it and moves again, and when every line is drawn the player with more boxes wins. There is no luck in it.
The French mathematician Édouard Lucas described it in 1889. It looks simple, but strong players count the chains of boxes long before the end and give a few boxes away on purpose to win more. On Duelto it is played against a bot with three levels, by two players on one screen, or online against a real opponent for rating.
Three boards
- 3×3
- 9 boxes and 24 lines, a few minutes a game. A draw is impossible. The place to start, from age 8.
- 4×4
- 16 boxes and 40 lines. A game can end 8–8. Rated online games are played on this board. From age 10.
- 5×5
- 25 boxes and 60 lines: long chains and real planning. From age 12.
How to get better
- Never draw the third side of a box while you have another choice: your opponent takes the box and moves again.
- Near the end the safe lines run out and the boxes form chains. Count them before that happens: whoever has to open the first chain is usually in trouble.
- When you must open a chain, open the shortest one.
- Sometimes the best move is to leave the last two boxes of a chain to your opponent, so that they have to open the next one. Watch the bot do it on Hard.
- Against the bot, use the Hint button when you are stuck. After a loss, the game names the move that cost you the most.
Questions
Is there a way to always win at Dots and Boxes?
Not a simple one. Small boards have been solved by computer, but no short rule wins every game. What wins most games is a counting idea, the chain rule, set out by the mathematician Elwyn Berlekamp. The bot on Hard plays the endgame perfectly, so beating it means you have found the idea too.
Is Dots and Boxes good for children?
Yes. It trains counting, planning several moves ahead and the idea of giving a little to win more. The rules take a minute to learn, and a game takes a few minutes.
How do online games work?
Online games are rated and played on 4×4. The first player is drawn at random, and each player has 90 seconds for the whole game; whoever runs out loses. A game that ends 8–8 is a draw and changes no rating.
Can I play without an account?
Yes. Against the bot and with two players on one screen, Dots and Boxes needs no account. Online games and the rating need a free one.
Is it free?
Yes. Every game on Duelto is free to play, with no ads inside the game and nothing to buy.
Do I need to download anything?
No. Duelto runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer. A free account, made with an email address, is all you need.
Can children play?
Duelto is open from age 8. Accounts for players under 13 are activated by a parent through the confirmation email, and run with extra restrictions.
Other games on Duelto
- RPS Board — Arrange 14 pieces, capture the flag. Rock-paper-scissors decides every fight.
- Classic RPS — Pure rock-paper-scissors — best of 5. Read your opponent, win the duel.
- BattleShield — Shield, reload, or fire — at the same time as your opponent. A 10-second showdown each round.
- Tic-Tac-Toe — The timeless 3-in-a-row duel — quick, sharp, and now ranked.
- Nim — Take turns removing stones; whoever takes the last one wins. A maths game with a secret to find.