Hex

How to Play Hex

Hex is played on an 11x11 board of hexagons slanted into a rhombus. You play the red stones and own the left and right edges; the AI plays blue and owns the top and bottom. Red moves first. On your turn, place one stone on any empty hexagon - stones never move and are never captured. The first player to build an unbroken chain of their own stones linking their two edges wins immediately.

What makes Hex remarkable is that a draw is mathematically impossible: once the board fills up, exactly one player must have a connection. Every stone you place does double duty, because a stone that extends your chain also stands in the way of your opponent's. Competitive Hex often uses a "swap rule" to offset red's first-move advantage; this version plays without it, so make that first move count.

Strategy Tips

• Use bridges - two stones placed diagonally with two empty cells between them are effectively connected: if your opponent plays in one gap, you take the other. Bridges cover ground twice as fast as solid chains.
• Blocking is connecting - on a rhombus, any wall that fully cuts your opponent's path must itself run between your own two edges. When in doubt, play the move that does both jobs at once.
• Fight for the short diagonal - the center of the board lies on both players' shortest routes. Early stones near the middle influence far more of the game than edge stones.
• Don't chase the AI's last stone - responding locally to every placement lets your opponent dictate play. Step back and reinforce your own shortest path instead.
• Approach edges from the third row - stones on the third row from your edge can usually reach it through standard escape ladders, so you rarely need to fill in the last two rows until forced.