Who goes first in Dots and Boxes?

Either player can start — in our game it alternates between matches.

On grids with an even number of boxes, yes, if both players claim the same number.

What is the strategy for Dots and Boxes?

Avoid drawing the third side of a box early. Late on, count the long chains so your opponent is the one who has to open them.

Do you get another turn after completing a box?

Yes. Every box you complete earns another line straight away.

What is a double-cross in Dots and Boxes?

Declining the last two boxes of a chain with one line, so your opponent takes two boxes but must then open the next chain for you.

Who invented Dots and Boxes?

Édouard Lucas described it in 1889.

How do I play Dots & Boxes online with a friend?

Open Dots & Boxes on multiplayergames.app or in the Multiplayer Games app, choose Online and create a room. Send your friend the room code — they can join from a phone, tablet or computer, and iPhone, Android and web players can all play each other. It's free and you don't need an account.

Can I play Dots & Boxes 2 player on one phone?

Yes. Pick the local 2 player mode and pass the device between turns. It works offline in the app, and there's a computer opponent too if you're on your own.

How to Play Dots & Boxes

2 players
3–6 minutes
Also called dots and lines, boxes

Dots and Boxes is the classic grid game from the back of school notebooks. Players take turns drawing lines between dots, and whoever closes a box claims it — and moves again. It's simple to start but full of clever endgame tricks.

By the Multiplayer Games team · Updated 27 October 2026 · Rules checked against the sources below

Objective

Claim more boxes than your opponent by drawing the fourth side of each one.

Setup

A grid of dots with no lines drawn. Every pair of neighbouring dots can be joined by one line.

Dots & Boxes rules, step by step

Draw a line. On your turn, join two neighbouring dots with a horizontal or vertical line.
Close a box. If your line completes the fourth side of a box, it's yours.
Go again. Completing a box earns an extra turn straight away — chain several together if you can.
Game end. When every line is drawn, the player with the most boxes wins.

Dots & Boxes variants, and the rules we use

Dots & Boxes is played slightly differently from place to place. These are the variants you're most likely to meet:

Board size. Anything from 3×3 boxes upwards; bigger boards favour planning over tactics.
Swedish board. The outer border is already drawn at the start.

How Dots & Boxes works in Multiplayer Games:

4×4 boxes (a 5×5 grid of dots).
Closing a box always earns another turn, and you can chain several in a row.
Ties are possible on an even number of boxes.

Dots & Boxes strategy for beginners

Early on, avoid drawing the third side of any box — that just gives it away.
Late in the game the board splits into 'chains'. Count them: whoever is forced to open the first long chain usually loses.
Learn the double-cross: take all but two boxes of a chain and leave them, so your opponent has to open the next chain for you.
Give away short chains of one or two boxes to keep control of the long ones.

Common mistakes to avoid

Greedily taking every box in the endgame, then being forced to open a huge chain.
Drawing third sides early out of impatience.

Dots & Boxes terms explained

Chain: A row of boxes where filling one hands your opponent the next.
Double-cross: Taking all but two boxes of a chain and leaving them, to keep control.
Long chain rule: A counting rule for working out who will be forced to open the first long chain.

A short history of Dots & Boxes

Dots and Boxes was first described by the French mathematician Édouard Lucas in 1889, who called it la pipopipette. It has been a pencil-and-paper favourite in schools ever since.

Behind its simple look is surprisingly deep maths: the mathematician Elwyn Berlekamp wrote a whole book on it, The Dots and Boxes Game (2000), built around the idea of counting 'long chains' to know who will be forced to give boxes away.