How to Play Blokus

The objective of Blokus is to fit as many pieces on the board as you can to end the game with the lowest number of points.

Gameplay

Each player will choose a color they will play with and then pick the 21 pieces corresponding to that color.

There are blue, yellow, red, and green tiles with the corresponding amount of pieces each:

• One 1-square piece
• One 2-square piece
• Two 3-square pieces
• Five 4-square pieces
• Twelve 5-square pieces

Choose who will go first and then proceed by moving clockwise. The first piece a player places on the board must cover a corner on the board.

Pieces must touch a corner of another piece of the same color but they may not touch a side of the same color board. When it comes to touching other players’ pieces or different colors, there are no restrictions.

If you cannot place a piece on the board according to the rules, you will have to pass that turn.

Once a piece has been placed on the board, it may not be moved again. The game will come to an end once players aren’t able to place any more pieces on the board.

Example

Let’s walk through a typical Blokus gameplay with two players.

• Two players gather around the Blokus game board.
• The players set up the board and select their colors: Yellow and Red.
• Player one places their 5-square piece on the top left corner of the board.
• Player two continues, placing the same piece on the bottom right corner.
• Players take turns placing their tiles in a manner where only the corners touch, but the sides don’t.
• Player two has to skip a turn because they can’t place a block without touching the side of their own blocks.
• Finally, neither player can place more blocks on the board, signaling the end of the game.
• They tally up their scores: Player two has the lowest score and wins the game.

Tips & Variations

As the game relies on points-based scoring, try to get rid of your highest point blocks first to maximize your chances of ending up with the lowest score.

Advanced scoring is the perfect way to bring a dash of additional challenge to a game of Blokus. Now, you’ll be competing for the highest score. Here’s how you’ll calculate the remaining pieces: 1 square equals 1 point. A player earns +15 points if all of their pieces have been placed on the board and 5 bonus points if the last piece they placed on the board was the one square piece.