Dots & Boxes

Dots and Boxes is the classic pencil-and-paper strategy game, free to play online against the computer. Take turns drawing lines, close boxes to claim them, and finish with more than the bot. Pick a board size and play on phone or desktop — no download, no sign-up.

How to play

• On your turn, tap a gap between two neighbouring dots to draw one line.
• Completing the fourth side of a box claims that box in your colour.
• Claiming a box earns you another turn straight away.
• You and the bot alternate turns until the whole grid is filled.
• Choose a 3, 4 or 5 board size before or during a new game.
• Whoever owns the most boxes at the end wins.

Avoid drawing the third side of any box, as that hands your opponent a free capture. Late in the game, the "double-cross" trick — deliberately leaving the last two boxes of a chain — forces the bot to open the next chain for you and often decides the match.