Dots & Boxes

The classic pencil-and-paper game. Take turns drawing lines between dots — complete a box to claim it and earn an extra turn. The player with the most boxes wins.

Player A0

Player B0

Player A's turn

Rules

The Board

A 5x5 grid of dots forming a 4x4 grid of potential boxes — 16 boxes to claim.

Making Moves

Each turn, draw a line between two adjacent dots (horizontally or vertically). Click the space between any two neighbouring dots to place your line.

Completing Boxes

When you draw the 4th side of a box, you claim it and get another turn. You can chain multiple boxes in a single turn if each line you draw completes a box.

Strategy Tip

Avoid drawing the 3rd side of a box — your opponent will complete it on their next turn. Force your opponent into giving you chains of boxes instead.

Winning

The game ends when all 16 boxes are claimed. The player with the most boxes wins. If both players have 8 boxes, it is a draw.

Visual Guide

Player A's lines (warm)

Player B / AI lines (cool)

Box claimed by Player A

Box claimed by Player B / AI