How to play Dots and Boxes

Connect only neighbouring dots horizontally or vertically. A fourth side claims the box and gives the same player another turn.

Rules and strategy methods

On a 3×3-box board, h:0:0 is the top edge of the first box. The board has 4×4 dots because sizes count boxes, not dots.

The game ends only when all 24 edges are filled; the two scores then total 9.

Updated 2026-08-08 · Method source: public-domain Dots and Boxes rules. Approved archive: daily-v2 with exact validation at 8-12 remaining edges; general exact solving is limited to 12 or fewer remaining edges.