onlinegamesbrowser.comHow to play
The board is a square grid of dots. On each turn a player joins two neighboring dots with a line, across or down. Draw the line that finishes off a box, closing its last side, and you claim it, then you must draw again. A single line can sometimes finish two boxes at once.
- Under Play, pick Vs computer or 2 players. For the computer, choose a Level: Easy, Medium or Hard.
- Pick a board size under Boxes, from a short 3×3 up to a marathon 6×6.
- Tap the gap between two dots to draw your line.
- Complete a box and it's yours, and you keep drawing.
- When no lines are left to draw, whoever owns more boxes wins.
Controls
- Touch or mouse: tap or click between two dots.
- Keyboard: Tab steps from one possible line to the next, and Enter draws it.
- In 2 players, blue and red share one device, and the score carries over from game to game until you leave.
Tips
- Early in the game, don't draw the third side of any box. It just lets your opponent take it and move again.
- Later on, every move gives something away, and the open boxes link up into chains. If you have to give some up, hand over the shortest chain.
- When your opponent opens a long chain, take every box but the last two, then draw the far line of that pair. They take those two with one line and are then forced to start the next chain, which you collect.
- Whoever is forced to open the first chain of three or more boxes usually loses, so count the chains well before the end.
FAQ
Do I have to keep drawing after I close a box?
Yes. Every box you complete earns another line, and you have to draw it, even if it gives boxes to your opponent.
How strong is the Hard computer?
With 16 or fewer lines left, it works through every possible ending and plays the best one, chain sacrifices included. Before that, it grabs any box it can without giving boxes away. Medium plays the same style without the deep search, and Easy only takes a free box about half the time.
Which board size should I pick?
3×3 is a quick game that works well for learning. 6×6 runs much longer and leaves more room for chain tactics.
Can I play dots and boxes at school?
There's nothing to download or install, so it works in Chrome on a school Chromebook. The school's network still decides which sites load. If this one is blocked, ask a teacher or the IT team, and skip proxy or unblocker sites, which break school rules and often carry malware.
