How to Play Dots and Boxes: Rules, Strategies, & More (2024)

FAQs

How to Play Dots and Boxes: Rules, Strategies, & More? ›

Make a 4 x 4 grid of dots

If your opponent is forced to play in one of these chains, then you can take all but two of the boxes and, by sacrificing the last two boxes, make certain that it is his turn to play into the next long chain. You will thus win all but two boxes in each long chain, and of course you will win all boxes in the last chain.

If your opponent plays within a loop, leave four boxes and play so that there is a space between two boxes on either side of your last line. By sacrificing the last 2 boxes of a chain or the last 4 boxes of a loop, you are guaranteed to obtain every single chain in the game.

Dots and Boxes is a classic pen and paper game where the goal is to make a square box.

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Make squares

There is no other Dots strategy. Drawing a square of like-colored dots eliminates all dots of that color from the board. It's the fastest way to rack up points and the only way to get your score into the stratosphere.

This is the largest game solved to date, and is a tie given optimal play by both opponents.

Dots and boxes is a pencil-and-paper game for two players (sometimes more). It was first published in the 19th century by French mathematician Édouard Lucas, who called it la pipopipette. It has gone by many other names, including dots and dashes, game of dots, dot to dot grid, boxes, and pigs in a pen.

The object of the game is to form a square by joining four dots. When a player draws a line that closes a square, she writes her initials inside the square and gets a bonus turn. When all possible lines have been drawn, the player with the most initialed squares is the winner.

To get a 700, or even a 600, in Dots, I can tell you, you must have a nearly flawless game with square, after square, after square. And you have to do it quickly. The highest score ever is 800 so 600 or 700 is quite good. Even 500 is a huge milestone.

What is the 9 dot problem game? ›

The nine dots puzzle is a mathematical puzzle whose task is to connect nine squarely arranged points with a pen by four (or fewer) straight lines without lifting the pen. The "nine dots" puzzle. The puzzle asks to link all nine dots using four straight lines or fewer, without lifting the pen.

Dots and Boxes Strategies

Early in the game, stick to drawing lines on boxes that have 1 or fewer sides. Look for the shortest chains to give your opponent. Count out how many are in each chain on the grid. If there is a chain with noticeably fewer boxes, add a line to it so your opponent can't score big.

The two players take turns to join two adjacent dots with a horizontal or vertical line. If a player completes the fourth side of a box they initial that box and must draw another line. When all the boxes have been completed the winner is the player who has initialled the most boxes.

Players can pay an ante for a square and, once each square has been assigned to a player, each square on the grid will then randomly be assigned a number, 0-9. At that point, players at home will then eye the last number of the score: Whichever square corresponds with the last number of both teams will win.

Make squares

This is the most basic strategy in Two Dots. When you connect a square of dots, it clears out all of that color from the board.

During each turn, a player draws a line joining two adjacent dots. The line must either be horizontal or vertical. If a player draws a line which completes a square, then the player earns points. If a square is completed by any player, then one more move needs to be completed by the same player.

The same double-cross strategy applies no matter how many long chains there are: a player using this strategy will take all but two boxes in each chain and take all the boxes in the last chain. If the chains are long enough, then this player will win.