Triangle Claim
Roll, join the dots, keep every triangle you close. Best of 3 sheets.
Triangle Claim is a two-player dot-and-line game in which you roll a die and draw that many lines between dots. Every empty triangle you close is yours, and when no lines are left the player with the most triangles wins.
A paper sheet of scattered dots and a die at each end of the phone. Roll, draw that many lines between the dots, and every empty triangle you close is yours. The die makes each turn a little puzzle: can you close two and leave nothing open for your rival?
Also known as Dots and triangles.
- How you hold it
- Face-off
- Match
- Best of 3 sheets
- Length
- About 2 to 3 minutes a sheet
- Play
- Friend or bot
How to play Triangle Claim: quick rules
About 2 to 3 minutes a sheet with 18 dots, 6 to 9 minutes for best of 3; 12 dots is about half that. Full rules, options and bot levels are further down.
- 1Roll your die. Draw that many lines between the dots.
- 2Lines can't cross or pass through a dot.
- 3Close a triangle with no dot inside and it's yours.
- 4When no line is left, most triangles wins.
Triangle Claim rules
Setup
- Each sheet has 18 dots scattered across the paper by default (12 or 24 are options). Every sheet in a match gets a new layout, the same for both players.
- A coin toss picks who rolls first in a fresh match; on a rematch the previous loser starts. After each sheet, the loser starts the next.
- A 3-2-1 countdown starts each sheet.
A turn
- Roll your own six-sided die. The number is how many lines you must draw this turn: no fewer, no passing and no undo.
- Draw the lines one at a time between two dots. A line is legal if it isn't drawn yet, doesn't pass through another dot and doesn't cross a drawn line (meeting at a shared dot is fine).
- Close a triangle with no dot inside it and you claim it, whoever drew the other two sides. One line can close two triangles at once.
- Claiming a triangle gives no extra line; the die decides. With Double close on (the default), a single line that closes two or more triangles adds one line to your turn.
Scoring
- Each triangle scores 1 point.
- With Golden dot on, the dot nearest the middle is a star, and any triangle with the star as a corner scores 2.
- With Last line on, whoever draws the sheet's final legal line scores 1 extra point.
Winning and ties
- The sheet ends the moment no legal line is left, even in the middle of a turn. Most points wins the sheet.
- On equal points the sheet is replayed on a new layout with the other player starting; it doesn't count.
- A match is a single sheet, best of 3 (the default) or best of 5. It never ends drawn.
Hints against the bot
- Playing the bot outside a tournament, you can spend 20 coins on a hint after you roll. It rings, for two seconds, the two dots and the line the Hard bot would draw next for you.
- A hint never draws the line for you, and you can take one per turn. There are no hints against a friend or in a tournament.
Tips to win at Triangle Claim
- 1Before each line, count the sides of nearby triangles, and avoid drawing a second side your rival can close.
- 2When you have nothing to close, spend your lines on edges far from open triangles.
- 3Look for one line that closes two triangles at once. With Double close on, it also adds a line to your turn.
- 4With Golden dot on, fight for triangles that touch the star: they score 2.
- 5Near the end, count the legal lines left. With Last line on, the final line is worth a point.
Controls
Phone flat between you. Each player owns a half, and the far half faces the far player.
- Tap your own die, in your dock at your end of the phone, to roll. It turns into a paper chit with one stroke for each line you owe; used strokes are crossed out.
- Tap a dot to pick it; every dot it can legally join glows. Tap a glowing dot to draw the line. Tap the picked dot again to drop it.
- A tap goes to the nearest dot, so each dot owns the free space around it and is easy to hit.
- Only legal targets glow, which is your check before you commit: there is no undo.
Options
Every option is free. Defaults are marked.
| Option | Choices | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Dots | 1218 (default)24 | Quick, Classic or Long. Every size works on every phone. |
| Sheets | SingleBest of 3 (default)Best of 5 | How many sheets to win the match. |
| Double close | On (default)Off | Extra: one line that closes two triangles earns one more line this turn. |
| Golden dot | OnOff (default) | Extra: triangles on the star dot score 2. |
| Last line | OnOff (default) | Extra: the sheet's final line scores 1 for its drawer. |
Play Triangle Claim against the bot
The bot plays Blue, rolls its own die and draws its lines one by one so you can follow along. It sees the sheet and its own roll, never a future roll. It weighs the triangles a line closes now against the ones it would leave open for you.
Easy
Draws casual lines: it takes a triangle only about half the time one is there, and otherwise draws short lines without thinking ahead.
Normal
Usually takes every triangle it can and avoids leaving you closes, but now and then draws a casual line.
Hard
Plays its best line every time, values double closes and golden triangles properly, and sets up triangles it can take itself with lines still to draw. The die still lets you beat it.
Online, tournaments and hints
- Online
- PlannedOnline play for Triangle Claim is planned, not available yet. Today you play a friend on the same phone or the bot.
- Tournament
- Can be drawn in a tournamentIn a tournament it plays the default options: 18 dots, best of 3, Double close on. The first player alternates from game to game, and hints are off.
- Hints
- Stuck against the bot? A hint lights up the strongest move for a few coins. Never with a friend, online or in a tournament.
Coming soon
- Online play. Play Triangle Claim against someone on another phone, with a turn clock and the server rolling the dice.
How it feels
- A die rattle as it tumbles, a pen tap when you pick a dot and a marker squeak as the line draws in.
- A stamp pop when you claim a triangle: it fills with hatching in your colour and your mark stamps in the middle. The pop rises in pitch on a double close.
- A bright chime and a sun "+" or star on the line for a double close or the last line.
Accessibility
- Colour is never the only cue: Red's triangles carry a heart and Blue's a cross, with hatching at opposite angles, and the golden dot is a star.
- One finger, tap only, with large targets: each dot owns the space around it.
- With reduce motion on, lines appear without drawing in and marks appear without the stamp.
- Dots, picks and targets have screen-reader labels, and the score badge reads out each player's points.
- There is no clock on a turn against a friend or the bot.
Triangle Claim questions
Roll a die and draw that many lines between dots on the sheet. Lines can't cross or pass through a dot. Close a triangle with no dot inside and it's yours; most triangles when no line is left wins.
Both. The die sets how many lines you must draw, and the skill is using them to close triangles without leaving easy ones for your rival.
It's a cousin. Like Dots and Boxes you keep the shapes you close, but here you close triangles between scattered dots and a die sets how many lines you must draw.
A sheet that ends level is replayed on a new layout with the other player starting, so a match never ends drawn.
Yes. Triangle Claim in Duo Clash is built for two players on the same phone. Phone flat between you. Each player owns a half, and the far half faces the far player.
Yes. The bot plays Blue, rolls its own die and draws its lines one by one so you can follow along. Choose Easy, Normal or Hard.
Play Triangle Claim on one phone
Free on Android. Sit face to face, or take on the bot on Easy, Normal or Hard.
