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Place, Surround or Connect: Strategy Board Games Compared
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Last updated 2026-10-19 · Run by Qdan, Inc.
Compare abstract strategy games through concrete goals: make a row, surround space or connect two sides, with no dice rolls or card draws in these two-player matches.
Check board sizes, placement or movement and the decisions involved, then follow each game’s Play link to try it in your browser.
Three Games to Try First
- Tic-Tac-Toe
Compare lines and blocks on just nine squares.
- Four in a Row
Choose among seven columns and see how landing heights change.
- Hex
Try connecting two sides through a single placement action.
Choose Placement, Connections or Movement
Start with Tic-Tac-Toe for a small placement board, Four in a Row for choosing a column while blocking lines, or Hex for connecting sides. Follow World Chess and Shogi at the end for that family of games. Hasami Shogi and Hon Hasami Shogi appear here specifically to compare sandwich captures.
Compare Board Size, Actions, Goals and Thinking
Boards and winning goals mainly describe this site’s default rules; players, time and learning effort come from each game’s information. Thinking scope is an editorial guide to looking at short lines, several board areas or sequences of moves, rather than a difficulty or strength ranking. Learning the rules and learning to win are different tasks. Ninuki Renju is compared in its two-player form; its card shows all supported player counts.
2–4 players
2–60 min
- Quick to learn8 games
- Learn step by step6 games
- More to learn1 game
- Mostly skill15 games
- Luck and skill0 games
- Mostly luck0 games
Player counts and times span the smallest to largest values in this group. Learning and luck describe each game, rather than a quality score.
| Game | Players and time | Board size | Place or move | How to win | Thinking scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tic-Tac-Toe | 2 players, About 2 min | 3×3; nine squares | Place marks in empty squares | Make a row of three | Small board: immediate lines and blocks |
| Four in a Row | 2 players, About 5 min | Seven columns × six rows | Choose a column and drop | Make a row of four | Columns and heights: future landing squares |
| Gomoku | 2 players, About 10 min | 15×15 intersections; 19×19 optional | Place stones on intersections | Five or more by default | Several lines: attack and defence |
| Renju | 2 players, About 15 min | 15×15 intersections | Place; follow opening choices | Black: exactly five; White: five or more | Lines, forbidden moves and opening decisions |
| Capture Five | 2–4 players, About 15 min | 15×15 intersections; 19×19 optional | Place and capture bracketed pairs | Two players: five in a row or five pairs | Lines and captures: two winning routes |
| Go | 2 players, About 60 min | 19×19 intersections; 9×9 or 13×13 optional | Place stones on intersections | More territory and prisoners, with adjustments | Whole board: territory and group safety |
| Reversi | 2 players, About 10 min | 8×8; 64 squares | Place and flip bracketed stones | More stones at the end | Whole board: corners and available moves |
| Hex | 2 players, About 10 min | 11×11 hexagons; 13×13 or 19×19 optional | Place on empty hexagons | Connect your opposite sides | Across the board: alternate routes and cuts |
| Hasami Shogi | 2 players, About 10 min | 9×9; 81 squares | Move orthogonally to sandwich | Take five pieces by default | Lines and corners: captures and escape routes |
| Flanking Shogi | 2 players, About 15 min | 9×9; forty shogi pieces | Move by piece type; two moves per turn; drops | Sandwich the opposing king | Two-move sequences and piece movements |
| Checkers | 2 players, About 10 min | 32 dark squares of an 8×8 board | Move diagonally; jump to capture | Capture all enemy pieces or block their moves | Sequences: landing squares through multiple jumps |
| Nine Men's Morris | 2 players, About 10 min | 24 points; nine stones each | Place first, then move along lines | Reduce the opponent to two stones or block moves | Lines and sequences: reopen and rebuild mills |
| Twelve Men's Morris | 2 players, About 15 min | 24 points with diagonals; twelve stones each | Place, then move along lines including diagonals | Reduce total enemy stones to two or block moves | Dense board: diagonal mills and open points |
| Juroku Musashi | 2 players, About 10 min | 33 points; 25-point board optional | Move along a line to a neighbouring point | Children: trap general; general: ten captures | Different roles: escape routes and paired captures |
| Dots and Boxes | 2 players, About 10 min | Five by four boxes; six by five dots | Draw lines between neighbouring dots | Claim more boxes by the end | Sequences: when to open a chain of boxes |
Make Rows: Align Three, Four or Five
Build a continuous row of your own marks or pieces before the opponent finishes theirs. For example, two marks in one row of Tic-Tac-Toe need the remaining empty square to complete a line of three.
Tic-Tac-Toe
Choose an empty square to build a line of three while watching the opponent’s next threat. Marks stay where they are placed, so each choice changes the remaining possibilities. A full board without a winning line is a draw. This comparison uses the standard nine-square board; the game also offers a larger setting with linked small boards.
- Board size
- 3×3; nine squares
- Place or move
- Place marks in empty squares
- How to win
- Make a row of three
BGJ rules [11]
Four in a Row
Drop a piece into one of seven columns to build a row of four. The piece lands in the lowest available square rather than any square you choose. As lower spaces fill, new landing heights become available, so a move can also prepare an opponent’s threat above it. A full board without a line of four is a draw.
- Board size
- Seven columns × six rows
- Place or move
- Choose a column and drop
- How to win
- Make a row of four
BGJ rules [12]
Gomoku
Place stones to build five in a row while preventing the opponent from doing the same. Stones remain on their intersections and are not captured. Compared with Tic-Tac-Toe, a larger board lets several threats develop in different places. This site defaults to a 15×15 board without forbidden moves and also accepts longer winning rows; settings can change those conventions.
- Board size
- 15×15 intersections; 19×19 optional
- Place or move
- Place stones on intersections
- How to win
- Five or more by default
BGJ rules [13]
Renju
Build a winning row while considering restrictions that apply only to Black. Renju uses a 15×15 board, with Black’s first stone at the centre. Opening procedures guide the early placements and allocation of colours. Black needs exactly five; White may also win with a longer row. The extra restrictions and opening decisions add rules to check beyond ordinary row building. [1]
- Board size
- 15×15 intersections
- Place or move
- Place; follow opening choices
- How to win
- Black: exactly five; White: five or more
Capture Five
Aim for five in a row or five captured pairs in the two-player game. Placing a stone to bracket exactly two adjacent enemy stones removes that pair, so a capture can both disrupt a line and advance a second winning goal. The default board is 15×15 and a winning row must be exactly five. Three- and four-player modes use their own targets. [2]
- Board size
- 15×15 intersections; 19×19 optional
- Place or move
- Place and capture bracketed pairs
- How to win
- Two players: five in a row or five pairs
Surround or Flip: Finish with More Territory or Stones
Go compares territory and prisoners, while Reversi counts stones left on the board. For example, if an enemy Go stone has just one empty orthogonal neighbour left, filling it captures that stone.
Go
Enclose empty intersections to build territory, while keeping your own groups safe and capturing vulnerable stones. Filling a group’s orthogonal liberties removes it, but a capture does not end the game. After both players pass, territory and prisoners are counted under this site’s Japanese-style scoring, including White’s compensation. The default 19×19 board can be changed to 9×9 or 13×13. [3]
- Board size
- 19×19 intersections; 9×9 or 13×13 optional
- Place or move
- Place stones on intersections
- How to win
- More territory and prisoners, with adjustments
Reversi
Place a stone to bracket enemy stones and flip them to your colour. The goal is to have more stones when neither player can move, rather than to flip the most on a single turn. A move may flip lines in several directions. This site starts with four central stones and passes automatically when a player has no legal placement. [4]
- Board size
- 8×8; 64 squares
- Place or move
- Place and flip bracketed stones
- How to win
- More stones at the end
Connect: Join Two Opposite Sides
Build a connected path from one of your marked sides to the opposite side. For example, in Hex, filling a single gap between your two paths reaching those sides can complete the winning connection.
Hex
Connect your two marked opposite sides with an unbroken chain of neighbouring hexagons. The chain may bend; it does not need to be a straight row. Stones are placed rather than moved or captured. Each choice can extend your route and restrict the opponent’s. This site starts with an 11×11 board and offers larger boards and a swap setting. [5]
- Board size
- 11×11 hexagons; 13×13 or 19×19 optional
- Place or move
- Place on empty hexagons
- How to win
- Connect your opposite sides
Sandwich: Move Pieces to Capture
Move a piece to bracket enemy pieces against another of your own. For example, Hasami Shogi captures two adjacent enemy pieces together when your move closes both ends of their row.
Hasami Shogi
Move identical pieces along ranks or files to sandwich an enemy line. Several adjacent pieces can be captured together when your move closes both ends. Unlike shogi, captured pieces stay off the board. The default target is five captures, with other winning settings available. Corners use a special enclosure rule, so the edge changes what you need to watch. [6]
- Board size
- 9×9; 81 squares
- Place or move
- Move orthogonally to sandwich
- How to win
- Take five pieces by default
Flanking Shogi
Use two moves per turn to sandwich the opposing king. The 9×9 board and forty pieces use shogi movements, but captures happen by orthogonal sandwiches rather than by landing on an enemy piece. Captured pieces can be dropped back onto the board; a drop itself does not capture. Planning the order of two moves matters alongside learning the different piece movements.
- Board size
- 9×9; forty shogi pieces
- Place or move
- Move by piece type; two moves per turn; drops
- How to win
- Sandwich the opposing king
BGJ rules [20]
Capture or Trap: Reduce Pieces or Available Moves
Use movement sequences to reduce the opponent’s pieces or escape routes. For example, filling three points in a straight line in Nine Men’s Morris creates a mill and earns the removal of one opposing stone.
Checkers
Capture every opposing piece or leave the opponent without a legal move. Pieces use only the dark squares and ordinary pieces move and capture diagonally forward. When a capture is available it is compulsory by default, and further jumps with that piece continue the turn. Reaching the far rank makes a king, which can also move and capture backward. [7]
- Board size
- 32 dark squares of an 8×8 board
- Place or move
- Move diagonally; jump to capture
- How to win
- Capture all enemy pieces or block their moves
Nine Men's Morris
Form a line of three, called a mill, to remove an opposing stone. After placing nine stones each on the 24-point board, players move along its lines. Reopening and rebuilding a mill can earn another capture. Win by reducing the opponent to two stones or leaving no move. This site enables flying to any empty point when only three stones remain. [8]
- Board size
- 24 points; nine stones each
- Place or move
- Place first, then move along lines
- How to win
- Reduce the opponent to two stones or block moves
Twelve Men's Morris
Build mills to remove stones on a 24-point board with diagonal connections. Each player has twelve stones rather than nine, so open points fill more quickly. The diagonal lines provide extra movement and mill possibilities. This site wins by reducing the opponent’s stones in hand and on the board to two or fewer, or blocking movement; a full board after placement is a draw. [8]
- Board size
- 24 points with diagonals; twelve stones each
- Place or move
- Place, then move along lines including diagonals
- How to win
- Reduce total enemy stones to two or block moves
Juroku Musashi
The sixteen children try to block every escape for a single general, while the general captures by stepping between two children. Both sides move along a line to a neighbouring empty point, but their goals differ. This site defaults to a 33-point board with a triangular extension and a ten-capture target for the general; its turn and repetition conventions are documented separately. [9]
- Board size
- 33 points; 25-point board optional
- Place or move
- Move along a line to a neighbouring point
- How to win
- Children: trap general; general: ten captures
Draw Lines: Complete Squares to Claim Boxes
Add lines between dots and compare how many completed squares you claim. For example, when three sides of a Dots and Boxes square are drawn, adding the fourth claims that box and grants another move.
Dots and Boxes
Draw the fourth side of a square to claim it and take another turn. Instead of placing or moving pieces, you add horizontal or vertical lines between neighbouring dots. A move that leaves a long run of nearly completed boxes may give the opponent several captures in succession. This site defaults to five by four boxes; the player with more boxes at the end wins. [10]
- Board size
- Five by four boxes; six by five dots
- Place or move
- Draw lines between neighbouring dots
- How to win
- Claim more boxes by the end
Frequently Asked Questions
Which games can I start with?
Tic-Tac-Toe has nine squares and a goal of three in a row. Four in a Row asks you to choose one of seven columns. Hex asks you to connect your two marked sides. Each card includes players, time, learning effort and a rules link.
Does having no chance mean both sides have equal conditions?
Playing first and second can matter even without rolls or card draws. Renju uses opening procedures and restrictions for Black. Hex offers a swap setting after the first stone. In Juroku Musashi, the two roles even have different piece counts and goals.
How do surrounding and sandwiching differ?
Go captures stones by filling their neighbouring liberties, then counts territory and prisoners. Reversi flips bracketed stones and counts the stones remaining at the end. Hasami Shogi moves pieces to make sandwiches and, by default, wins by taking five pieces.
Do easy rules mean there is little to think about?
A small set of rules can still allow deep decisions. Hex only asks you to place stones and connect sides, but you consider both possible cuts and alternative routes. The comparison describes what you look at; the card’s learning effort uses the game information’s shared three-level scale.
Are chess, shogi or games for more players included?
Follow Shogi Variants and Rule Differences at the end for those families. Hasami Shogi and Hon Hasami Shogi appear here to compare sandwich captures. Ninuki Renju also supports three or four players, with different row and capture targets; this comparison uses two players.
Sources and How BGJ Plays
- Renju International Federation — International Rules of RenjuSections 2 and 9: board, winning rows and Black’s restrictions; current opening settings are documented by this site / Checked: ↩
- Nihon Renjusha — 二抜き連珠 (Ninuki Renju)Bracketing and removing pairs (Japanese); targets and multiplayer conventions are documented by this site / Checked: ↩
- James Masters (rules author) — The Rules of Go or Wei ChiEquipment and Aim; Rules: board, territory, liberties and captures; dead stones and compensation are documented by this site / Checked: ↩
- James Masters (rules author) — Rules of ReversiBasic Play: bracketing and flipping; the source describes different starting and passing conventions, so consult this site for those details / Checked: ↩
- Chris Sangwin, University of Edinburgh — The game of HexHex rules 1–5: placement, connecting sides, corners and swapping / Checked: ↩
- Japan Shogi Association — はさみ将棋 (Hasami Shogi)Section 2: orthogonal movement and sandwich captures (Japanese); edge and winning conventions are documented by this site / Checked: ↩
- James Masters (rules author) — The Rules of DraughtsDraughts or Checkers: 8×8 board, diagonal movement, multiple jumps and kings; draw conventions are documented by this site / Checked: ↩
- James Masters (rules author) — The Rules of Merels or Nine Mens MorrisEquipment, Basic Play and Variations: 24 points, placement, movement, mills and diagonal boards; twelve-stone details are documented by this site / Checked: ↩
- Tetsuro Tanaka, University of Tokyo — 十六むさしの強解決 (Solving Juroku Musashi)Slides 3–5: 33 points, one against sixteen, stepping between pairs and trapping (Japanese); first move, repetition and turn limits differ from this site / Checked: ↩
- Thomas S. Ferguson, UCLA — Dots and BoxesRules: adjacent dots, fourth-side capture, extra moves and box totals / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Tic-Tac-ToePublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, board, actions, winning goals and settings in this game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Four in a RowPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, board, actions, winning goals and settings in this game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — GomokuPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, board, actions, winning goals and settings in this game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — RenjuPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, board, actions, winning goals and settings in this game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Capture FivePublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, board, actions, winning goals and settings in this game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — GoPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, board, actions, winning goals and settings in this game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — ReversiPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, board, actions, winning goals and settings in this game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — HexPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, board, actions, winning goals and settings in this game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Hasami ShogiPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, board, actions, winning goals and settings in this game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Flanking ShogiPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, board, actions, winning goals and settings in this game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — CheckersPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, board, actions, winning goals and settings in this game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Nine Men's MorrisPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, board, actions, winning goals and settings in this game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Twelve Men's MorrisPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, board, actions, winning goals and settings in this game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Juroku MusashiPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, board, actions, winning goals and settings in this game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Dots and BoxesPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, board, actions, winning goals and settings in this game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩