Hex
Hex is a two-player connection game with a single kind of move: you claim one empty hexagon per turn. Play happens on a 9x9 diamond. Red owns the top and bottom edges, Blue owns the left and right, and the first to join their two sides with a solid chain wins.
This copy is one of the board games Christopher Müller released as PaperGames. It works with a mouse, a touchscreen or the keyboard. Challenge the built-in opponent at Easy, Medium or Hard, or hand the screen back and forth between two people.
How to play Hex
Red goes first, then turns alternate. On every turn, you set down a single stone in a free cell. Stones are permanent: nothing is captured and nothing moves.
Since every cell touches six others, your chain can twist and turn in many directions. A legend under the board reminds you which edges are yours. The game announces a winner the instant a complete path exists.
Draws cannot happen. A full barrier against one color always doubles as a finished chain for the other color, so every stone you place is both attack and defense. When you play the computer, pick your color and a level from Easy to Hard.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place a stone | Tab to the board, arrows to move, Enter to place | Click an empty hexagon | Tap an empty hexagon |
| Set up a game | — | Pick Red or Blue and a level, then New game | Pick the same options, then tap New game |
| Undo | — | Click Undo | Tap Undo |
| Resign | — | Click Resign | Tap Resign |
Tips
- Open in or near the middle. From the center, a stone can stretch toward both of your sides, and your opponent has a harder time sealing it off.
- Learn the bridge shape: a pair of your stones that share two empty neighbor cells. If your opponent takes one cell, take the other and the link holds.
- Blocking right next to an enemy stone rarely works because they can step around it. Block a few rows ahead of where their chain is heading.
- Do not crawl along your own edge early. Stones there do little, while stones in the middle threaten many routes at once.
- The two sharp corners of the diamond often decide close games. Keep an eye on short connections there late in the match.
If you like Hex, try these
Bridges Island PuzzleJoining everything into one connected whole is the solo version of this goal, with bridge counts on islands as your clues.
SurakartaAnother uncommon two-player abstract, where stones can only capture after looping around curved tracks at the board corners.
Questions
Is going first in Hex an advantage?
Yes, the first move is a real edge, and no swap option exists here. To even things out, let the computer play Red, or trade colors with your friend after each game.
How strong is the Hex computer?
Easy places stones at random. Medium measures how close each side is to connecting and picks good options. Hard looks a few moves ahead at the most promising cells.
Is my game saved?
It is. Hex writes the current position to browser storage, so a reload picks up where you left off on that device.
More like this: all strategy games · 2-player games · every game A–Z
