How to play Hex

A pure connection game. Exactly one player always connects, so it can never be drawn.

Setup

An 11×11 diamond of hexagons. One player owns top and bottom, the other left and right.

On your turn

• Place one stone on any empty hexagon. Stones never move and are never captured.

Special rules

• Swap rule: after the first move, the second player may swap sides, which removes the first-move advantage.

Winning, draws and losing

• Connect your two edges with an unbroken chain of your stones.

Online rules and fair play

• Your two sides are highlighted clearly on a phone screen.
• Every game runs on a server clock: running out of time loses.
• A disconnected player has 60 seconds to return before forfeiting.