Dots on Paper

The game from the last row of desks, exactly as you remember it, only fast. Squared paper, a red pen and a blue one, and an opponent who has already moved.

Dots (Kropki) is the classic pen-and-paper game of encirclement: place dots on the grid, close a chain around your opponent's, and the ground inside is yours. The rules take a minute to learn; the depth lasts for years. This version is the blitz that never existed: 60 seconds for the whole match, 10 seconds a move. Whoever sees the board fastest wins.

A NOTEBOOK, NOT AN APP Real squared paper with a margin, ballpoint ink, hand-drawn hatching over captured ground. Every move is drawn the way it would be drawn at a school desk. You won't find a glossy button or a particle effect anywhere in it.

TEN OPPONENTS From a daydreaming beginner to the Grandmaster of the Notebook. Each one makes mistakes its own way, like a person rather than a throttled machine. King of the Hill: ten wins in a row, and one loss sends you back to the bottom.

TOURNAMENT RULES Yes, Dots has a federation and published competition rules. Sport mode plays by them: the starting cross, strict alternation, an Elo rating and real ranks you can lose.

PLAYS OFFLINE On a plane, in the subway, at a cabin: all ten opponents, the mountain and free play work with no internet and no account.

TWO PLAYERS, ONE PHONE Pass and play: one screen, two pens. Hand the phone across the desk the way you'd hand over the notebook.

PLAY WITH PEOPLE Over Game Center: invite a friend, stake a match against a stranger, or enter the weekly tournament. There is no account to create. It's you, an opponent, and the paper.

47 ACHIEVEMENTS From First Win to the Grandmaster title, with a shelf of shame for those who resign. Game Center keeps the score.

FAIR BY DESIGN The game is free, and ads play only when you ask for one: watch it, pocket the coins. Nothing you buy affects the match. Pens, watches and manicures change how your hand looks, never how the game plays. There are no hints and no undo: a placed dot is placed.

Place a dot. The clock is already running.