Description
The standard rules of play for all variations of the game are as follows:
- Order of play is either clockwise or counter-clockwise.
- The first piece played of each color is placed in one of the board’s four corners. Each new piece played must be placed so that it touches at least one piece of the same color, with only corner-to-corner contact allowed—edges cannot touch. However, edge-to-edge contact is allowed when two pieces of different color are involved.
- When a player cannot place a piece, he or she passes, and play continues as normal. The game ends when no one can place a piece.
When a game ends, the score is based on the number of squares in each player’s pieces on the board (e.g. a tetromino is worth 4 points). If a player played all of his or her pieces, he or she gets a bonus score of +20 points if the last piece played was a monomino, +15 points otherwise.
Two and three player variations
Blokus rules allow for two and three player games also. In two-player games, each player takes two colors. In three-player games, either one of the players takes two colors or else “the pieces of the fourth color are placed on the board in a non-strategic way.”
Game Rules [pdf]
admin –
An engaging strategy game that is simple to teach and can be played a couple times in the Math Adventures timeframe. Ideally played with 4 players, though can be modified slightly to play with 2-3, the gameplay doesn’t seem quite as fair. The pace is good and kids aren’t bored waiting for their turn, though counting squares at the end can be a little tedious. The kids always seem to enjoy this one.
Shayna –
A fun game to play with all grades. Works on spatial awareness and strategy. Since kids have played in younger grades usually, it’s easy to jump right in. We played in 3rd grade this year and talked more about what strategies to use (bigger pieces first, etc.). Make sure all the pieces are there before and after playing!!