Dots & Boxes: Deep Space

HOW TO PLAY

THE BASICS

• Take turns drawing one line between two neighboring stars (up–down or left–right).
• Draw the fourth side of a box and it's yours: a crystal cube rises in your color, and you draw again.
• When every line is drawn, whoever owns more boxes wins. You are cyan; the Computer is magenta.

CONTROLS

• Mouse: point at a line to preview it, click to draw it.
• Touch: tap a line to draw it.

STRATEGY: CHAINS

• Avoid drawing a box's third side — that hands the box to your opponent.
• Late in the game every move gives something away. Boxes link into chains (and closed loops); opening one lets the other player take it all.
• Double-dealing: when handed a long chain, you can take all but the last two boxes and leave those two for your opponent — then they must open the next chain for you. Giving up 2 boxes to stay in control often wins the game.
• The long chain rule: on a board with D dots, the first player wants (D + number of long chains) to be even; the second player wants it odd. A long chain has 3 or more boxes; loops don't count.

THE ORACLE 🔮

• Your optional advisor on your turn. It uses the shared minimax engine to solve lines to the end of the game, with no time limit.
• It first sets aside every line the box-taking rules prove can't be best, solves the Hard computer player's pick exactly, then checks whether any other line can beat it — solving exactly any line that can.
• Win by n Draw Loss by n are proven final box margins with best play by both sides; No better means proven unable to beat the best line.
• In the opening (too many safe lines to prove anything in a few minutes) it recommends the Hard player's pick, marked Not proven, without searching. Once the safe lines drop to the board's limit (4×4: 14, 5×5: 12, 6×6: 10, 7×7: 4), it solves every move to the end of the game.
• It stops when you draw a line, press Stop, or close the panel. 📋 Copy copies its full report (with the game's move list).

UNDO

• ↶ Undo takes back your last line and any computer lines after it. Press it again to go further back.

READING THE ORACLE

• Line names: the stars are labeled with letters A, B, C… across the top (left to right) and numbers 1, 2, 3… down the left side (top to bottom). A line is named by the two stars it joins: B1–B2 is the up-and-down line from star B1 to star B2; B1–C1 is the across line from B1 to C1.
• The map: the panel's small flat map shows the same board from straight above, with the selected line in pulsing gold.
• On the board, only one line glows: the line selected in the Oracle's list, in pulsing gold. It starts on the recommended line; click (or tap) another line in the list to show that one instead.

COMPUTER PLAYER

• Easy sometimes misses boxes. Medium takes every box and avoids third sides. Hard knows the chain rule, double-deals, and fights for control.