Hex

How to play

The board is a diamond of hexagons. Red owns the top and bottom edges, Blue the left and right. Take turns placing a stone on any empty hexagon. The first player to join their two edges with an unbroken chain of their own stones wins. Stones never move and are never captured.

There are no draws in Hex: once the board is full, one of the two chains must be complete, because the only way to stop a chain is to build your own across it.

The swap

Going first is a big advantage, so Blue gets a choice on their first turn: play normally, or swap and take Red’s first stone as their own (it’s mirrored across the board so it faces Blue’s edges). Red then moves again. So the best first move is a fair one: good enough to keep, but not so good that Blue takes it.

Tips

Two of your stones with two empty hexagons between them are as good as joined: if the other player fills one, you fill the other. This bridge lets you cross the board quickly. Blocking right in front of a chain rarely works; block a little further away. The middle of the board is worth the most early on. The computer has three levels; Hard looks at your best answer to its moves.

Play a friend online

When online play is available, pick Play online above the board. One of you creates a room and shares the link; the first two people in the room play and swap colors after every game.