Dots and Boxes
One little line. One more square to call your own.
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Each size counts boxes, not dots. Draw the last side to claim a square and play again; a double capture earns two boxes and one continuing turn. Two dots gives large endpoint controls. Edges allows direct line clicks; H/V chooses orientation, arrows move and Enter or Space plays. U/R undo/redo and P pauses. Fresh game. Fresh computer wins: 0.
Your achievements 0 / 8
How to play Dots and Boxes
Join two neighboring dots with one horizontal or vertical line. Each edge can be drawn only once. The player who draws the fourth side of a unit square claims that box for one point, regardless of who drew the other sides. Diagonal lines and larger rectangles do not score.
Claim a box and keep your turn. One shared edge can finish two boxes at once: both points belong to the same player, who makes the next single decision. There is no queue of two bonus turns. If that next edge does not complete a box, the other player takes over immediately. Captures can continue in a chain until a noncapturing edge is drawn.
Sizes count boxes
Choose 2 × 2 for four boxes on nine dots, 3 × 3 for nine boxes on sixteen dots, or 4 × 4 for sixteen boxes on twenty-five dots. The default is 3 × 3 boxes. When every box is claimed and every edge drawn, the higher score wins. Equal scores draw; the odd nine-box board cannot finish tied.
Two comfortable ways to draw
Two dots uses large endpoint buttons and is the default on a narrow phone. Tap a dot, then an adjacent dot. A selected start has a ring and its available adjacent endpoints are outlined. Tapping the same start clears it; tapping a nonadjacent dot moves the start without using a turn. A used connection cannot score or consume a move again.
Edges draws directly from a line's center. Horizontal and vertical buttons have separate, nonoverlapping target areas. Use whichever control style feels easier. Changing input style does not count as assistance.
With Two dots, arrows/Home/End move between dots and Enter or Space selects an endpoint. With Edges, H or V chooses horizontal or vertical orientation, arrows choose an unused edge, and Enter or Space draws the focused line. U undoes, R redoes and P pauses. Full screen keeps the board and tools together; Back or Escape restores the page.
Computer or a friend
Player 1 always opens. Choose Player 2 to let the computer draw first, or share Two players on the same screen. Side and level settings apply only to computer games. Box owners are shown by both color and the number 1 or 2.
Easy varies legal lines and takes an available box. Normal uses a short bounded lookahead, and Hard searches further when its work limit allows. The search keeps the same actor after a capture, considers scores and existing ownership, and can follow capture chains. These are the site's strength choices, not an optimal-play or unbeatable promise.
Undo, pause and saved games
Against the computer, Undo returns to your latest decision and removes the whole computer capture chain that followed it. That can be much longer than two edges. Consecutive human captures are still separate decisions. Local Undo removes one edge. Redo restores the exact saved edges, box owners and turn, without replacing an already saved computer reply. The automatic opening alone cannot be undone.
Your legal edge history, score, actors, Undo/Redo, input style, selected endpoint, active time and stars save in this browser when storage is available. The clock starts with the first actual edge, not merely selecting a dot. Leaving the tab pauses and cancels pending computer work. A saved unfinished game waits for Resume before its reply. A visible warning explains when saving is unavailable. Sound starts off, reduced motion is respected and celebrations stay below the board.
Undo and Restart make the same attempt practice. Restart clears the board but keeps the original result and assistance. Replaying a loss into a win cannot replace its first outcome. New creates a fresh attempt. Reviewing, redoing, restarting or reloading never adds duplicate results or fresh challenge wins.
Eight small achievements
Earn stars for a first edge, a first box, two boxes with one edge, finishing a first-result game, winning a first-result computer game, beating Normal or Hard without Undo or Restart, an unassisted computer win, and three different fresh computer wins. Local play can earn opening, capture and completion milestones; computer challenges require computer games. Repeatedly drawing known lines or replaying a capture does not invent extra box progress.