Play Ataxx Online

The classic territory-control strategy game. Clone and jump your pieces to capture the board. Choose from 8 starting layouts, challenge the AI, or play with a friend.

Starting Board
Pick Your Side (yellow starts first)
Game Mode
AI Difficulty
You: 2
vs
AI: 2
Your turn — select a piece
Ataxx strategy board game — clone and jump pieces to dominate the board

What Is Ataxx?

Ataxx is a two-player abstract strategy board game played on a 7×7 grid. Each player starts with pieces in the corners of the board and takes turns either cloning (copying to an adjacent square) or jumping (moving exactly two squares) to spread across the board. When a piece lands on a square, all adjacent enemy pieces are captured and converted to the moving player's colour.

The game ends when the board is full, neither player can move, or one player has no pieces remaining. The player with the most pieces on the board wins. Ataxx is sometimes called Infection, Hexxagōn (on a hexagonal board), or Spot. It was originally released as an arcade game by Leland Corporation in 1990 and has since become a staple of abstract strategy gaming.

How to Play Ataxx

  1. Starting position. Each player begins with pieces in opposing corners of the 7×7 board. Multiple starting layouts are available — some include blocked squares that add variety and strategic depth.
  2. Select a piece. On your turn, tap or click one of your pieces to select it. Legal destinations will be highlighted on the board.
  3. Clone (1 square). Move to any adjacent empty square (including diagonals). Your original piece stays put and a new copy appears at the destination. This increases your piece count by one.
  4. Jump (2 squares). Move to any empty square exactly two steps away. Your piece disappears from the original square and appears at the destination. Your piece count stays the same.
  5. Capture. After either type of move, all enemy pieces orthogonally or diagonally adjacent to the destination are immediately captured and turned into your colour.
  6. Win! When no more moves can be made or the board is full, the player with the most pieces wins.

Ataxx Strategy Tips

1. Prefer Cloning Over Jumping

Cloning creates a new piece while jumping merely relocates one. Every clone move increases your total piece count by at least one (plus any captures), while a jump only gains pieces through captures. As a general rule, only jump when the resulting captures significantly outweigh the benefit of cloning — or when no clone move is available.

2. Maximise Captures on Every Move

Before committing to a move, scan the board for destinations that are adjacent to the most enemy pieces. A single well-placed clone can flip three or four opponent pieces at once, creating a massive swing. Always look for the move with the highest net gain.

3. Control the Corners and Edges

Pieces on the edge of the board have fewer neighbours, which means they're harder for your opponent to surround and capture. Corner pieces are especially safe — they can only be threatened from three directions. Establishing a strong presence along the borders gives you a stable base of pieces that are difficult to flip.

4. Stay Connected

Try to keep your pieces in connected clusters rather than spreading them thinly across the board. A compact group supports itself — if your opponent captures one piece, your adjacent pieces can recapture it on the next turn. Isolated pieces are easy targets.

5. Use Blocked Squares Strategically

On boards with blocked cells, use them as natural barriers. Position your pieces so that blocked squares protect one flank while you expand on the other. Blocked cells also create chokepoints — control the cells around them to restrict your opponent's movement.

6. Think About Tempo

In the endgame, tempo matters. If you can force your opponent into moves that don't capture many of your pieces while you set up big swings, you'll come out ahead. Sometimes it's worth making a "quiet" move that doesn't capture much now but sets up a devastating follow-up.

About the AI

The AI uses the minimax algorithm with alpha-beta pruning and a tuned evaluation function for Ataxx. Here's how each level plays:

  • Easy: Looks 2 moves ahead and sometimes picks random legal moves (~30% of the time). Great for learning the rules and basic strategy.
  • Medium: Looks 4 moves ahead with evaluation based on piece count, positional control, mobility, and capture potential. A solid challenge for intermediate players.
  • Hard: Looks 6 moves ahead (deeper in the endgame) with advanced evaluation weighing corner and edge control, piece connectivity, mobility advantage, and strategic positioning. Very tough to beat — can you find a way?

History of Ataxx

Ataxx was created by Dave Crummack and Craig Galley of Leland Corporation and first appeared as an arcade machine in 1990. The game quickly attracted attention for its simple rules but deep strategic gameplay. Players familiar with Reversi (Othello) found a familiar capture mechanic but with the added dimension of choosing between cloning and jumping.

The concept was adapted to hexagonal grids as Hexxagōn (1993), developed by Software Creations and published by Argo Games. This variant became widely popular on early PC platforms. Numerous clones and adaptations followed, including Spot (a licensed 7 Up-branded version), Infection, and various mobile implementations.

Today Ataxx remains a favourite among abstract strategy enthusiasts and is a popular subject in AI and game theory research. Its branching factor and tactical complexity make it an excellent testbed for minimax algorithms, Monte Carlo tree search, and neural network approaches to game-playing AI.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ataxx is a two-player strategy board game played on a 7×7 grid. Players take turns moving pieces by either cloning to an adjacent square or jumping two squares. Any opponent pieces adjacent to the destination are captured and converted to the moving player's colour. The player with the most pieces when the board is full or no moves remain wins.
A clone move copies your piece to any adjacent square (one step in any direction, including diagonals), leaving the original piece in place. This increases your piece count. A jump move relocates your piece exactly two squares away — the piece disappears from its original position and appears at the destination. Both moves capture all adjacent enemy pieces.
The key strategies are: prefer cloning over jumping (since clones increase your piece count), maximise captures on every move, control corners and edges for stability, keep your pieces connected, and think several moves ahead about tempo and positioning.
Yes! This Ataxx game is fully responsive and designed for mobile-first play. Tap a piece to select it, then tap a valid destination to clone or jump. Highlighted cells show all legal moves.
There are three levels: Easy (shallow search with some random moves, great for learning), Medium (uses minimax search with positional evaluation — a solid challenge), and Hard (deep search with advanced evaluation for corner control, connectivity, mobility, and stability — very tough to beat).
This version offers 8 unique starting layouts. The classic layout places pieces in opposite corners with no blocked squares. Other layouts introduce blocked squares in various patterns — crosses, diamonds, walls, and asymmetric barriers — each creating distinct strategic challenges and preventing repetitive play.

More Puzzle & Strategy Games

If you enjoy Ataxx, check out these other games on our site:

Reversi

Classic disc-flipping strategy on an 8×8 board — also known as Othello. Capture by outflanking.

Checkers

Classic Draughts with forced captures and kings. Play vs AI or a friend.