Hex is a connection strategy game for two players.
Hex rules
- Players choose a colour and take turns. On each turn one counter is placed in an empty hexagonal cell.
- Counters may not be moved except with the swap rule.
- The first player to form a connected path of their counters linking the opposing sides of the board marked by their colour wins.
- The four corner hexagons belong to both adjacent sides.
- Swap rule: on their first move the second player may move normally, or choose to swap their piece with that placed by the first player. [This encourages the first player to only choose a moderately strong first move and so reduces any advantage of going first. Ignore the swap rule for the first few games.]
Basic strategy
- Play defensively: defence is also attack.
- Use bridges to make connections between your pieces and simultaneously to block your opponent.
- If you can think of a strong response to your own move then look for a better one!
- Never give up the game until it is clearly over but abandon areas of the board which are hopeless.
More strategy
- Further discussion of strategy.
- Templates are the most important strategic units.
- For more information see
- C. Browne. Hex Strategy: Making the Right Connections. A K Peters/CRC Press, 2000.
- R. B. Hayward and B. Toft. Hex: The Full Story CRC Press, 2019.
Hex resources
- A4 paper hex board (PDF), for 15mm diameter counters.
- Hex set from Nestor Games
- Hexy, is available from http://vanshel.com/Hexy is a worthy opponent.
- Hexomania is available for the Mac.
