What is Dots and Hexagons?
Dots and Hexagons is Dots and Boxes on a honeycomb. The dots sit at the corners of hexagons laid in rows, each row shifted half a hexagon against the next, like bricks in a wall. Each hexagon is a cell, and neighbouring hexagons share a side.
Players take turns drawing one line between two neighbouring dots. A player who completes the sixth side of a hexagon scores it and draws another line. A line between two hexagons borders both, so one line can close two at once. When every line has been drawn, the player with more hexagons wins, and equal scores are a draw.
With six sides to a cell, a hexagon takes a long time to become dangerous, and the quiet phase of the game, when both players draw safe lines, lasts much longer than with boxes. The hexagons on the outside have several sides that no other cell shares, so the edge of the board is where chains form first. A 4×4 board has 48 dots, 63 lines and 16 hexagons.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Dots & Boxes | Dots and Hexagons |
|---|---|---|
| Board | Standard Dots & BoxesA square grid of dots. | Dots and HexagonsA honeycomb: rows of hexagons, each row shifted half a hexagon against the next. |
| Cells | Standard Dots & BoxesSquare boxes with four sides. | Dots and HexagonsHexagons with six sides. |
| Lines | Standard Dots & Boxes40 lines on 4×4. | Dots and HexagonsThe sides of the hexagons: 63 lines on 4×4. |
| Scoring | Standard Dots & BoxesComplete the fourth side of a box to score it and draw another line. | Dots and HexagonsComplete the sixth side of a hexagon to score it and draw another line. One line can close two hexagons. |
| Board sizes | Standard Dots & Boxes2×2 to 6×6 boxes, or bigger and rectangular boards. | Dots and Hexagons2×2 to 6×6 hexagons, or 2×3, 3×4 and 4×5 hexagons. |
| Other options | Standard Dots & BoxesEvery option in the table setup can be used. | Dots and HexagonsWorks in Misère, with the pre-drawn border (the outside of the honeycomb) and with three or four players. |
History
Descriptions of Dots and Boxes have long noted that the game does not need a square grid and can be played on a hexagonal one. There is no standard rulebook for this version and no known inventor: the rule used here, where closing all six sides of a hexagon scores it and gives another move, is the direct translation of the box rule.
The shape of the board is not fixed either. This version lays the hexagons in offset rows, so the board is a rectangle of rows and columns like the square game, and it uses the same sizes, from 2×2 to 6×6.