How to Play

A two-player real-time strategy game. Place dots, draw boundaries, and trap your opponent's pieces to claim the grid.

Objective

Be the first player to capture enough of your opponent's dots to reach the score target. The default is 10 captures on a 25×25 grid, but Pro players can customise both.

How a game unfolds

Take turns placing dots

Players alternate clicking any open intersection on the grid. The red player always goes first. Each player has a per-turn timer — the default is 60 seconds. Missing your timer loses you the game instantly.

Build chains and boundaries

Your dots are placed at the intersections of the grid lines. The key to winning is not just placing dots randomly — it's positioning them to form a closed loop around your opponent's pieces.

Capture by enclosing

When your dots completely surround a group of your opponent's dots (with no escape route), those dots are captured and your score increases by the number of captured dots. Enclosed dots in a large area all count.

Hit the target to win

The first player to reach the score target wins. Captures can happen in bursts — a well-planned boundary can capture many dots at once, swinging the game in a single move.

Don't run out of time

Every turn has a countdown timer visible in the top bar. The progress bar below the header shows how much time is left. If your timer hits zero before you place a dot, you automatically lose — no matter the score.

Players

Red

Goes first

Blue

Goes second

How a game ends

Score target reached — A player captures enough dots to hit the target. They win.

Timer expires — A player runs out of time on their turn. They lose instantly.

Forfeit — A player leaves the game. Their opponent is awarded the win.

Strategy tips

→Enclosing a large area can capture many dots at once — one big move can win the game.

→Don't just play offensively. Watch your opponent's boundary formation and block their enclosures.

→Corner and edge positions are easier to defend and require fewer dots to close a boundary.

→On larger grids, area control matters more than individual dot placement.

→With a short timer, prioritise moves that extend an existing boundary over isolated placements.

Want more control?

Pro accounts can customise grid size (up to 100×100), score target, and turn timer length — so you can play exactly how you want.

Learn about Pro