Never draw the third side. The game is a race to the last safe line.

Dots and Boxes looks like a kids game, but every board is decided the same way: when safe lines run out, someone has to hand over boxes. Make sure it is the rival.

0You (blue)
0safe lines left
0Rival (red)

How to play

  1. Take turns drawing one line between two neighbouring dots.
  2. Close the fourth side of a box and it is yours. You then draw again.
  3. A box with three sides is a gift: the next player closes it. The counter shows how many lines are still safe (they create no three-sided box).
  4. Most boxes wins. Every second board the rival opens, which flips who runs out of safe lines first.
arrows move the cursor, Enter or Space draws, T flips horizontal/vertical, H hint, N new board. The Rookie draws safe lines at random. Clever grabs every box it can. Master solves the endgame exactly.