You can call it Dots and Boxes, the Dot Game, Pigs in a Pen, or Paddocks. Whatever name your family has for this simple pen and paper game, it new ceases to be fun. The Dot Game was created in 1889 by French mathematician Édouard Lucas. Since then, this delightful diversion has ventured out from the City of Love, and today has become a de facto time filler for restaurant waits, road trips, and plane flights.
But drawing all those dots can be tedious. Fortunately a remedy has been found combating this pressing issue, and it has taken the shape of a free printable dots and boxes game board. Just print and play. It’s that easy. You’ll never have to draw dots again, which I’m sure is a great weight off your mind.
Dots and Boxes Game Boards
Click on the Dots and Boxes game board templates below to open the corresponding PDFs in your browser.
Dots And Boxes Game
Draw rows of dots, separated by a good half inch, in a grid of 10 by 10 columns. Each player takes a turn connecting one dot to another adjacent dot horizontally or vertically, one move at a time. After a while, the board begins to fill with a series of horizontal and vertical lines, some connected, some not. Dot 2 Dot: Draw lines between pairs of dots, and become a professional artist! - Dot 2 Dot is one of our selected Arcade Games. Play for Free!
Dots and Boxes Rules
Connect The Dots
Don’t know how to play the Dot Game? No worries, here are the rules:
The Dot Game
Number of players: 2+
Play Dot To Dot Online
Start with an empty dot grid. Have each player take a turn adding a single horizontal or vertical line between two unjoined adjacent dots. When a player closes the fourth side of a 1×1 box, they write their initials in the box, signifying they won that box, and it belongs to them. That player then takes another turn. The game is over when no more lines can be drawn. The winner is the player with the most closed boxes.