Dots and boxes — Free Printable PDF & Rules

Set up and play

1. Choose a symbol and a first player.
2. Draw one unused adjacent edge; claim any completed box and move again.
3. Pass the turn only after a move that closes no box.

Finish the game

Use the ending and scoring rules in the complete guide below.

What the group is trying to do

This seated pencil game asks players to claim small squares by drawing their final side. It needs no quiz answers, hidden personal facts, or fast reactions. The interesting decision is whether a safe looking line will leave a valuable chain of squares for the other player. Use the original six by six dot sheet below for a short opening game. Two people play directly; four people can form two pairs and discuss each move quietly before choosing one line. Three people can rotate the observer role between games rather than making the turn order uneven.

Materials, group size, and setup

Print one sheet for each pair and bring two colored pencils or two different initial marks. Six rows of six dots make twenty five possible boxes. Decide who moves first with a simple agreed choice, then alternate the starting player in a second game. Write both player names or chosen symbols in the score area. Tell everyone that a move is exactly one horizontal or vertical line between neighboring dots. Diagonal lines, long lines crossing several gaps, and tracing an already used edge are not legal moves. No ruler is necessary, but leave the dots visible.

Run the first turns slowly

Player A joins any two neighboring dots. If that line does not complete a square, Player B takes the next turn. Continue until somebody draws the fourth side of a box. That player writes their initial inside the completed box and immediately draws another line. Completing a box earns an extra move; it does not merely earn a point. If one line closes two boxes, claim both and still take just one extra move. Keep playing the extra move sequence until a line completes no new boxes. Then pass the pencil to the opponent.

A worked example to explain the rule

Imagine the top left box already has a top edge, a left edge, and a bottom edge. It is A’s turn. A draws the missing right edge, writes A in that box, and keeps the turn. A then draws the top edge of a distant empty box. Since that second line completes nothing, B now moves. Later, B might complete one box and use the extra move to complete another. The host should follow the newly closed edges rather than counting how many lines a player drew. This example is a teaching position, not a promised winning strategy.

Finish, scoring, and disagreements

The game ends when every possible box has an owner. Count one point per claimed box, including boxes made during extra turns. The higher total wins; an equal total is a draw on smaller practice grids with an even number of boxes. On the full sheet the two totals must add to twenty five. If a mark is unclear, pause before the next move and agree which edge was intended. An illegal new line is erased and replaced by a legal move, without inventing a penalty halfway through the game. Stop at the announced time and compare completed boxes if a shorter session is needed.

Adjustments and a useful host question

For a first attempt, use only the upper four by four dots and ignore the rest of the sheet. For a cooperative version, both players try to explain the consequence of each proposed move before placing it; remove the score and aim to label every box correctly. A participant who finds drawing difficult can point to two dots while a partner draws the chosen edge. Allow an observer to check box ownership without choosing moves. Between games ask which move changed the longest chain, rather than asking who made a mistake. These are suggested hosting formats and have not been presented as results of a classroom trial.

Your printable materials

Original starter materials below. Print at 100% scale; turn off browser headers and footers. Select Letter or A4. Review the preview before making a batch.

Try another game

Dots and boxes · Shared budget auction · Grid fleet search · Four in a row · Browse all 60 games

Make room for everyone

Invite guests to take a turn or pass. Explain the rules before starting, choose materials that suit your group, and offer a seated or read-aloud option when helpful.

More games with this play style

• Team trivia
• Closest guess
• Memory tray