Games / Dots and Boxes

Play Dots and Boxes online with friends

The pencil and paper classic for 2 to 4 players, with a bot that knows the chain rule.

Dots and Boxes is the game you probably played on squared paper at school. Players take turns drawing one line between two neighbouring dots. Draw the fourth side of a box and it is yours, and you draw again. When every box is taken, whoever has the most wins. The rules fit in two sentences, but the ending is all about chains.

Here you can play with up to four people at one table, each from their own phone or computer, and fill empty seats with bots. Pick a quick 3 by 3 grid or a long 9 by 9 one, play a single game or best of 3, and turn off the bonus turn if you want a different game. The Hard bot plays the endgame properly, double crosses included.

Why play Dots and Boxes here

How to play Dots and Boxes

  1. Set up a table

    Open Dots and Boxes and host an online table for friends, or choose Practice against bots. Up to four players can sit down, and bots can fill empty seats.

  2. Choose the grid

    Pick 3 by 3, 5 by 5, 7 by 7 or 9 by 9 boxes, decide on the bonus turn and the match length, then press Deal me in.

  3. Draw a line

    On your turn, draw one line between two dots that sit next to each other, across or down. Diagonal lines are not allowed.

  4. Close a box

    If your line is the fourth side of a box, the box fills with your colour and initial. With the bonus turn on, you must draw another line.

  5. Play the chains

    Late in the game every move gives something away. Try to make your opponents open the long chains so you can take them.

  6. Count the boxes

    When every box is claimed, the player with the most boxes wins. Tied players share the win. In best of 3, two round wins take the match.

Tips

Screenshots

A three-player game on a 7 by 7 grid with boxes filled in red, blue and green and each player's initial inside.
Three players on a 7 by 7 grid
The opening of a two-player 5 by 5 game with a few lines drawn and a dotted preview of the line the player is about to draw.
Early on, every line is a safe one
Late in a 7 by 7 game, most boxes are claimed and the remaining open area has split into chains.
Late in the game the board splits into chains
A finished 7 by 7 board with every box claimed and the result bar saying the player and Rook tie with 21 boxes each.
A tie at 21 boxes each
The result screen showing a shared win between the player and the bot Rook, with 21 boxes each out of 49.
Tied players share the win

Dots and Boxes questions

How do you play Dots and Boxes?

Players take turns drawing a single line between two neighbouring dots, across or down. When your line completes the fourth side of a box, you claim that box and draw again. The game ends when every box is claimed, and the player with the most boxes wins.

Can I play Dots and Boxes online with friends?

Yes. Choose Host an online table, then share the code or invite link. Up to four people can play at one table from any phone, tablet or computer, and bots can take any seat nobody fills. It is free, and you do not need an account or a download.

What is the strategy for winning Dots and Boxes?

Avoid drawing the third side of any box early on. Later the board splits into chains of boxes, and whoever has to draw into a long chain usually hands it over. Count the chains so the other player is forced to open the first long one, and use the double cross to keep control.

What is a double cross in Dots and Boxes?

A double cross is when you take all of a chain except the last two boxes, then draw the line that gives those two away as a pair. Your opponent takes the two boxes, but then has to move again and open the next chain for you. It is how strong players keep control of the endgame.

Do I get another turn after completing a box?

Yes, by default. Closing a box means you must draw another line. The table can switch the bonus turn off, and then the turn always passes to the next player, even after you close a box. That variant changes the strategy a lot, since chains no longer run all at once.

Can I play Dots and Boxes against the computer?

Yes. Choose Practice against bots. The Easy bot grabs boxes and plays loosely. The Hard bot avoids giving away boxes, works out who will run out of safe moves first, and uses the double cross in the endgame, so it is a good way to learn the chain rules.

What grid sizes can I play?

You can play on 3 by 3, 5 by 5, 7 by 7 or 9 by 9 boxes. The default is 5 by 5, which takes a few minutes with two players. The 9 by 9 grid has 81 boxes and suits three or four players who want a longer game.

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