Cute Dots and Boxes is a classic two-player pencil-and-paper strategy game, played here on a grid of dots that forms a 4×4 field of boxes.
How to play: On your turn, draw one straight line between two side-by-side dots. Whenever your line completes the fourth side of a box, you claim that box and immediately take another turn. When every box is claimed, whoever owns the most boxes wins. The winner starts the next round.
The strategy that makes it deep: Early on, try not to draw the third side of any box, because that hands your opponent a free box. The real skill is the "double-cross" in the endgame: instead of greedily taking every box in a long chain, leave the last two for your opponent, forcing them to open the next chain for you. Thinking in chains is the secret to winning.
Did you know? Dots and Boxes was first described by the French mathematician Édouard Lucas in the 1880s, who called it la pipopipette. Behind its simple rules lies surprisingly rich mathematics that is still studied today.
It is great for building patience and planning, fun for kids and adults alike, and completely screen-free once printed. Play with a friend on one screen — phone, tablet or computer — free and no download.