How to play HeXO
HeXO is a two-player connection game played on an infinite grid of regular hexagons. Your goal is to make a straight line of six pieces before your opponent does.
Turn order
| Turn | Player | Pieces placed |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | Player 1 (X) | 1 at the origin |
| Reply | Player 2 (O) | 2 |
| Every turn after | Alternating | 2 |
A move (or ply) is one piece placement. A turn is a player's complete set of placements. The one-piece opening balances Player 1's first-move advantage; all later turns contain two moves.
Legal placements
- Place a piece only on an empty hex.
- The grid has no edge and may expand in any direction.
- On hexo.did.science, a new piece must be within eight cells of an existing piece so the active board stays manageable.
Winning
You win immediately when six of your pieces form one unbroken straight line on any of the grid's three axes. Horizontal and both diagonal directions count. A longer line already contains six, so the game ends as soon as the sixth connected piece is placed.
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Match options online
Public and private lobbies use the same board rules. Rated games affect the leaderboard; casual games do not. A match may have no clock, a turn clock that resets each turn, or a total match clock with an optional increment after each turn.
First strategy ideas
- A threat can become six on your next turn if it is not defended.
- An open line has room at both ends; a closed line is blocked at one end.
- Because you place two pieces, the strongest turns defend one threat while developing another.
- An open line of four forces your opponent to spend both placements blocking its two ends.
The strategy goes much deeper: the community studies formations, openings, tempo, colonies, and compact notation systems for sharing positions.