Dots&Boxes
Update log

What's new on Dots and Boxes

A short, honest record of every meaningful change to the site. Newer releases sit at the top. Have an idea for the next line on this page? Tell us on the contact page.

Last updated

v3.2 · October 2026

Trust pages and a cleaner layout

  • New About, Updates and Contact pages. A proper story page with the team behind the site, this update log, and a contact page with a direct support address.
  • Improved Privacy policy and terms of use. Plain-English rewrites covering cookies, advertising, your rights in India, the US, the EU and the UK, embeds and printables.
  • Improved Room for the board. Removed the fixed ad boxes beside and under the game, so the board and controls get the space.
  • New Social links. Find us on Reddit, Discord, Twitch and Instagram from the footer.
  • New A guide for AI assistants. Added an llms.txt summary so AI search tools describe the site accurately.

v3.1 · October 2026

Navigation fixes

  • Fixed Board size links. The 3x3, 6x6, 10x10, Classroom and Tournament links now open the right board, instead of showing the home game.
  • Improved Play and logo start fresh. Tapping Play or the logo now starts a brand-new game, while a browser refresh still resumes the one in progress.
  • Fixed Saved games stay put. Opening a strategy position no longer overwrites your saved home game.

v3.0 · October 2026

Every page rewritten

  • Improved Rules, strategy and board pages. All thirteen main pages rewritten from scratch, with worked examples, diagrams and answers to the questions players actually ask.
  • New Play this position. Diagrams in the guides open the live board with that exact position, so you can try the move yourself.
  • New Chains and double-cross guides. Two long-form guides on counting long chains and on the all-but-two trick.

v2.0 · Summer 2026

Faster pages

  • Improved Instant loading. Rebuilt the site so every page arrives ready to read and the board appears straight away.
  • New Share and embed. Share a link to your exact board setup, or embed a playable board on a blog or class page.
  • Improved Phones and tablets. Bigger touch targets, a side layout for phones held sideways, and a 4x4 starting board on small screens.

v1.3 · June 2026

Daily puzzle

  • New Puzzle of the day. A fresh 4x4 endgame each day against a perfect opponent, with a target score to hit.
  • New Streaks, hints and archive. Two hints per puzzle, streak badges and the last 30 days to catch up on.

v1.2 · June 2026

Classroom tools

  • New Class tournament. Add 2 to 16 teams, get a knockout bracket with byes, pick team mascots and print a winner's certificate.
  • New Classroom page. Lesson ideas, a quick 3x3 board for pairs and printable grids for brain breaks.

v1.1 · June 2026

Feel and sound

  • New Themes and effects. Notebook-paper, dark and playful themes, ink-trail lines, box fills and a confetti finish when you win.
  • New Sound and music. Pencil-scratch effects, separate music and effects volume, and vibration on box captures for supported phones.
  • New Install the app. Add the game to your home screen and open it like any other app.

v1.0 · June 2026

Launch

  • New The game. Dots and Boxes against the computer at four levels, or 2 to 4 players on one screen, on boards from 3x3 to 10x10.
  • New Variants and printables. Classic, Quick and Scored Boxes modes, plus blank grids to print.