How to play
Players draw one line between neighboring dots. Completing the fourth side of a box claims it and earns another turn. Most boxes wins.
Two players · about 5-10 minutes
Dots & Boxes
Take one line. Finish a box. Keep going if you score.
Board
Blue draws first.
Finish a box and you keep the turn. The larger boards make chains much more important.
A useful warning
The innocent-looking last few moves can hand your opponent a whole chain of boxes. That is where this little game gets interesting.
Watch the third side
A line that creates the third side of a box usually lets the next player take it. In the opening, count sides before you draw.
A little more
The game changes near the end
Early moves are about avoiding the third side of a box. Later, boxes form chains. Giving away one box can sometimes force your opponent to hand an even longer chain back to you.