Two-player game
How to play dots and boxes
Dots and boxes is a pencil and paper game for two players on a grid of dots. Players take turns drawing one line between two neighboring dots. Whoever draws the fourth side of a box claims it and must draw another line. When every box is closed, the player with more boxes wins.
- 2 players
- 5 to 15 min
- 6 and up
How to play
You need: squared paper and a pen, or one phone.
- Draw a grid of dots, for example 5 by 5 dots, which makes 16 boxes.
- Take turns drawing one straight line between two dots that sit next to each other, across or down.
- If your line closes a box, write your initial in it and draw another line. You keep going while you keep closing boxes.
- When no lines are left, count the boxes. The most boxes wins.
Rules
- Lines join neighboring dots only, never diagonally.
- You never have to take a box you could close. Leaving boxes on purpose at the right moment is the key move of good play.
- A turn that closes a box always continues with another line.
- With an even number of boxes a tie is possible.
Variants
- Bigger grids
- A 6 by 6 dot grid has 25 boxes, so it cannot tie, and chains get long.
- Three players
- On paper, three players can share a grid; take turns clockwise.
- Swedish board
- Start with the outer border already drawn, which changes how chains form along the edges.
Tips to play better
- Early on, avoid drawing the third side of any box. That hands your rival a free box.
- Count chains: rows of boxes that one player can take one after another once the first is opened.
- When you take a long chain, consider leaving the last two boxes with one line. Your rival takes two, but must then open the next chain for you.
- The player who controls who must open the long chains at the end usually wins.
Dots and boxes questions
What is a chain in dots and boxes?
A chain is a row of boxes that can all be taken one after another once someone draws a line into it. A chain of three or more boxes is called a long chain.
What is a double-cross in dots and boxes?
A double-cross is one line that closes two boxes at once. It happens when a player taking a chain stops two boxes short and leaves them as a pair, a move called double-dealing. The rival takes both with one line but then has to open the next chain.
Is there a winning strategy for dots and boxes?
Strong players follow the long chain rule: on a grid of dots, the first player wants the number of dots plus the number of long chains to be even, and the second player wants it odd. Steering that count decides who gets the big chains at the end.
Can dots and boxes end in a tie?
Only when the number of boxes is even, for example 16 boxes on a 5 by 5 dot grid. A grid with an odd number of boxes always has a winner.
Updated November 4, 2026 by the team.