Dots and Boxes Free online game

What is it?

Dots and Boxes is a territory game where players take turns drawing a line between two dots to close boxes. Whoever draws the fourth side of a box claims it and draws again. When every line is drawn, the player with the most boxes wins.

On Hanpanmadang you can play the AI, play two players on one phone, or open a group room and play friends online. In team mode, players split into two pairs and add up their team's boxes, and AI fills any empty seat.

How to play

1. Tap between two neighboring dots to draw a line
2. Whoever closes all four sides takes the box and draws again
3. Drawing a third side lets your opponent close it. Most boxes (or team boxes) wins

Difficulty and rankings

There's a weekly ranking and an all-time ranking; the weekly one resets every Monday at midnight (Korea time). For details, see the Help.

Good to know on Hanpanmadang

• The board is 5 by 5 boxes (60 lines), and online group rooms hold 2–4 players. Teams have 2 players each, and AI fills any empty seat.
• Only one-on-one games against the AI count toward records and rankings for each AI level; group, team and online games are friendly and not recorded.

Common mistakes

Drawing elsewhere when you could close a box right away.

If a box can be closed, closing it is usually best, and you get to draw again.

Drawing a third side while safe lines remain.

Drawing a third side lets the next player take that box right away. Count the sides around a box before drawing.

Tips

• Drawing the third side of a box hands it to your opponent. Early on, pick safe lines that don't give any box a third side.
• When the safe lines run out, someone has to open a chain of connected boxes. Giving away the shortest chain costs the least.
• When you receive a long chain, deliberately leaving the last two boxes forces your opponent to open the next chain. If the remaining chains are long, this gains more.
• In team mode, turns alternate between your team and the other team. Remember that the player after you is an opponent when choosing a line.