A game from France

How to Play Dots and Boxes

Draw lines to close boxes. Close one and go again.

Origin FrancePlayers 1–2Price Free

The rules

Take turns joining two dots with a line. Draw the fourth side of a box and you claim it — then draw again. Most boxes wins. A classic you can play with paper and pencil.

Where it came from

It began as "La Pipopipette," introduced by the 19th-century French mathematician Édouard Lucas. Students have been playing it in the margins of their notebooks for more than a century.

How to win

Learn to give boxes away. Late in the game, count the chains: hand your opponent the short ones so you can collect the long ones. The double-cross — leaving the last two boxes — decides most games.

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