How to Play Dots and Boxes

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Know the goal of the game to keep track of the rules.

   Dots and boxes is a simple game with a simple goal: whoever "owns" the most boxes at the end of the game wins.
   
   You and your opponent take turns drawing horizontal or vertical lines to connect the boxes.
   
   When someone draws a line that completes a box, you write your initial inside to win the box.
   
   Once all the dots have been connected, you can count up the boxes and find the winner., Using a pen and pencil, make a simple vertical line of dots, each about 1 cm apart.
   
   Make three more columns of dots going horizontally, so you have an even square of at least 16 dots.
   
   You can make any size board you want
   -- from 6x6 to 10x10.
   
   Even uneven boards, like a 4x6, will work out fine.
   
   While shorter games can be played on 3x3 grids, they must generally be at least 4x4 provide a worthwhile game., It is often fun to play with different color inks, allowing you to look back on the game and see who played or set up what boxes, but it is not essential.
   
   In a pinch, you can share a pencil as well. , This may seem like a small choice, but for higher-level strategies (which do exist in Dots) there is a slight difference in play for who goes first.
   
   The best practice is to play multiple games, switching who is first each time.
   
   Note that this difference is slight, especially if you don't care about the precise mathematical strategies.
   
   There is no real advantage to going either first or second., Early on this will be mostly random, as there are not enough lines to win any boxes.
   
   Each line simply goes from one dot to it's neighboring dot either above, below, left, or right.
   
   There are no diagonal lines. , Each box is worth one point, so write your initial in the completed box to score it for yourself.
   
   If you have two different colored pens, you can also scribble your color in to mark it as well.
   
   For strategy purposes, most computer programs use two colors for the teams, usually red and blue.
   
   The rest of the article will use Red and Blue as the hypothetical players. , Once you've finished a box, drawing the 4th line, you get to keep going.
   
   This allows you to create chains, where the 4th wall of your first box makes the 3rd wall of another box.
   
   You can then use your extra turn to complete this box too, keeping the cycle alive until the chain runs out.
   
   A "chain" is a line of boxes that one player can take in one turn, and is the central strategy element in boxes.
   
   Whoever gets the longest and/or most chains usually wins.
   
   You must take your extra turn
   -- you cannot skip it., The player with the largest number of boxes win.
   
   If you want to continue playing, you should draw a new grid, switch who goes first and keep going. , Sites like these will draw the boards for you, often letting you choose the size of the grid as well.
   
   All of the rules are written into the code, meaning you can just focus on playing.
   
   Check out this free, educational version provided by UCLA's math department which lets you battle a computer player.
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   Step 2: Create a grid of dots at least four dots wide and four dots long.

3. 3

   Step 3: Give each player a pencil or pen.

4. 4

   Step 4: Flip a coin

5. 5

   Step 5: play rock-paper-scissors

6. 6

   Step 6: or otherwise decide who gets to go first.

7. 7

   Step 7: Each turn

8. 8

   Step 8: draw one horizontal or vertical line to connect two dots.

9. 9

   Step 9: Draw the 4th wall of a box to win it for yourself.

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    Step 10: Take an extra turn if you complete a box.

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    Step 11: Count up each player's number of boxes once the whole board is covered.

12. 12

    Step 12: Play the game using free internet programs

13. 13

    Step 13: alternatively.

Detailed Guide

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