Getting your game ready…
Take turns drawing one edge between neighbouring dots on the five-by-five dot lattice. Select an open horizontal or vertical edge; diagonal lines are not moves. Four edges enclose a box. The player who completes its final side claims that box.
Completing a box gives you another turn. One edge can close two neighbouring boxes, claiming both while still granting one next choice. Keep playing while your edges complete boxes. If an edge completes none, the turn passes to the computer.
The board contains sixteen boxes. Play finishes when every edge is drawn, and the player with more claimed boxes wins. Equal counts draw. Ownership marks distinguish both sides. You cannot redraw an occupied edge or remove an edge during ordinary play.
Adding a third side gives the next player a chance to close that box. Look for an edge that leaves nearby boxes with fewer than three sides. Early in the game, keeping several safe options matters more than enclosing one shape quickly.
Near the finish, several almost-closed boxes may form a chain. Taking one can make the next available immediately. Compare the full chain you give away or take, not just the single square beside your chosen edge.
Carved pegs, short wooden edges and stamped leaf squares make turns visible. The counters are completed boxes, not pieces you move around the board. A quiet early edge can become part of a much larger handover when the final sides begin to close.