Dots-and-Polygons

Abstract Dots-and-Boxes is a popular children’s game whose winning strategies have been studied by Berlekamp, Conway, Guy, and others. In this article we consider two variations, Dots-and-Triangles and Dots-and-Polygons, both of which utilize the same lattice game board structure as Dots-and-Boxes. The nature of these variations along with this lattice structure lends itself to applying Pick’s theorem to calculate claimed area. Several strategies similar to those studied in Dots-and-Boxes are used to analyze these new variations.