Tips and strategy
Board strategy
Take the centre early
A hex in the middle of the board touches six others and can join a chain heading in any direction. Corner and edge hexes have fewer neighbours, so they matter less in the opening.
Think in bridges
Two of your hexes that share two empty neighbours are almost as good as connected: if your opponent takes one of the gaps, you take the other. Players of Hex call this a bridge. It lets you stretch across the board faster than placing hexes side by side.
Block at a distance
A hex placed right in front of an opposing chain is easy to walk around. A blocking hex two or three rows ahead gives you time to build a wall, and every hex in that wall can also be part of your own path.
Every pick is attack and defence
Because a hex belongs to only one team, the best picks do both jobs at once: they extend your chain and sit on the line your opponent needs. Before you pick, ask where your opponent would go next, and whether you can get there first.
Remember that a board cannot draw
Someone always connects. If you are cut off, the only way back is through a gap your opponent has left open, so look for the hex they cannot afford to lose and take it before they do.
Answering
- Use the letter. The answer always starts with the letter on the hex. If you half remember something, say the candidates that fit the letter out loud.
- Pick letters your team likes. Two hexes may be equally useful on the board, but one letter may suit your team far better.
- Steals are free hexes. When the other team misses, you answer with nothing to lose. Keep thinking during their turn.
- Watch the clock. On a 20-second timer, agree a single answer quickly; a right answer after time runs out is still a miss.
Hosting a great game night
- Match the pack to the room. Kids & Family or Easy packs for mixed ages, a decade of music for a party, the Genius tier for the quiz crowd. Charades packs are great once everyone has warmed up.
- Use Relaxed mode (no timer) for classrooms and young players, and a 20-second timer once everyone knows the rules.
- Start on 4 × 4. A quick first game teaches the rules in a few minutes, then move up to 5 × 5.
- Put the board on the TV. In Party Mode everyone answers on their own phone while the board stays on the big screen.
- Use Undo freely. A wrong tap is not final; take it back and carry on.
New to the game? Start with How to play, then pick a pack from the Packs guide.