Dots
Dots are placed on the crossings of squared paper and enclosed in rings: whatever is surrounded is captured and plays no further part.
Players take turns placing dots of their own colour on the — the crossings of the lines on squared paper. The aim is to close enemy dots inside a ring of your own.
The ring counts by neighbourhood in eight directions: dots are joined when they stand next to each other horizontally, vertically or diagonally. As soon as such a closed line has gone round at least one enemy dot, everything inside is : nothing more may be placed there, and the captured dots stop working — they form no rings of their own.
Hence the tension of a game. To surround, you have to stretch your line, and a stretched line is itself vulnerable: it keeps gaps through which the opponent builds a ring in return. The game is not about capturing much but about capturing without exposing yourself.
An empty ring is no capture. But if the opponent later puts a dot inside it, the owner of the contour may close the ring on their turn — unless that dot has itself completed a ring the other way.
Not to be confused with boxes
The same squared page and the same Russian name are used by the game of boxes, where dots are not placed but joined by lines. It is a different game, and which one is being played should be agreed in advance.
Rules of Dots
The field
Squared paper. Play is on the points — the crossings of the lines, not the squares themselves.
The bounds of the field are agreed beforehand: in the tournament game it is a rectangle, and both players' first moves are made in its central area.
A turn
The player puts one dot of their colour on any free, unforbidden point. Passing is not allowed.
Surrounding gives no extra move.
Surrounding
Dots of one colour count as joined when they stand on neighbouring points — horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
A closed line of your joined dots encloses an area. If there is at least one enemy dot inside, the area becomes a capture.
Nothing new may be placed inside a capture. Captured dots take no further part in building lines: no ring of theirs will close.
A closed area with no enemy dots inside is no capture.
Grounding
By agreement the rule of applies: a group of dots joined without a break to the edge of the field cannot be surrounded.
The rule wants care: if the line leaves diagonal gaps at its turns, the connection counts as broken and the group is no longer grounded.
End of the game
The game ends when no free points remain or when the players agree to stop.
Scoring
Captured dots are counted: whoever surrounded more of the opponent's wins.
Worth knowing
The size of the field, and whether the opening moves are confined to the centre, come from a tournament agreement rather than from the game itself; in a schoolyard it is simply played on a page. Whether dots at the very edge can be surrounded, and whether grounding applies, is the commonest thing to argue about and should be settled before the start. Some count captured dots, others the whole area inside the contours.
Glossary of terms
- A point
- A crossing of the lines on squared paper. Dots go on the crossings, not in the squares.
- Grounding
- A group of dots joined without a break to the edge of the field. By agreement such a group cannot be surrounded — no ring will close around it.
- Surrounding
- A closed line of your own dots with enemy dots inside it. Those are captured.