Hex Unblocked

Hex has a rule set so short you can learn it in ten seconds, and a strategy so rich that mathematicians have studied it for decades. You and your opponent take turns dropping stones on a diamond of hexagons. Each of you owns two opposite sides of the board and wants to join them with a single connected chain. The surprise is that attacking and defending are the same move: any wall that stops your opponent is part of your own road. This unblocked Hex comes from Christopher Müller’s PaperGames and plays on a 9x9 board.

How a Game Goes

Red moves first. Turns alternate, and each turn you place exactly one stone on any empty hexagon. Once placed, a stone stays exactly where it is for the rest of the game.

• Red owns the top and bottom sides.
• Blue owns the left and right sides.

A legend under the board reminds you which is which. Because each hexagon has six neighbors, chains can wind and branch in many directions. The instant one side completes a path, the game declares the winner.

Here is the elegant part. Hex cannot end in a draw. If the board fills up, one color must have a connection, because the only way to completely block one player is with a chain that wins for the other.

Hex controls

To do this	Keyboard	Mouse	Touch
Claim a hexagon	Tab to the board, arrow keys to pick a cell, Enter to place	Click an empty hexagon	Tap an empty hexagon
Pick your color and the AI strength	—	Pick Red or Blue and a level, then click "New game"	Pick Red or Blue and a level, then tap "New game"
Take a move back	—	Click "Undo"	Tap "Undo"
Admit defeat	—	Click "Resign"	Tap "Resign"

Patterns Worth Knowing

The bridge

Place two of your stones so they share two empty neighbors between them. If your opponent takes one of those cells, you take the other and stay connected. Bridges let you cover ground quickly without leaving gaps.

The center opening

A central stone keeps both of your sides within reach and is tough to isolate. Opening on the rim gives your opponent too much freedom.

Block from afar

Blocking directly in front of an enemy chain rarely works, since it simply bends around you. A stone placed a few rows further along its route is much harder to dodge.

Edge templates

Near your own edge, a stone on the second row with two empty edge cells beneath it is already safely connected. You do not need to fill those in until your opponent threatens them.

Mind the sharp corners

Short, tricky links near the two narrow points of the diamond often settle a close game. Watch them closely as the board fills up.

Who It Is For

Hex is perfect for anyone who likes clean, luck-free duels and quick games. Three AI levels let you start gentle and work up, and the Settings menu lets you enlarge the text, raise contrast, widen spacing or change the AI’s reply speed. For another game about walling off space, try Game of the Amazons. If you want ancient territory battles, see Go.