Tabletop games
Blokus
MattelBernard Tavitian2000
- players
- 2–4
- minutes
- 30
- years
- 7+
In the box
1 board of 400 squares · 84 pieces: 21 per colour
Official rules (PDF, publisher's site)
Box details
- Designer
- Bernard Tavitian
- Artwork
- Alan D. Hoch
- Publisher
- Mattel
- Mechanics
- ChainingEnclosureGrid CoverageHand ManagementPlayer Elimination
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
Affiliate link: Marquoir may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
The basics
Each player tries to place as many of their 21 pieces on the board as possible. On your turn, place one piece: the first covers a corner of the board, each following one touches a piece of its colour at a corner, never along a side, and a player who cannot place passes. When nobody can play any more, count the squares left off the board: the lowest total wins (with advanced scoring, the highest score).
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
2 to 4 players, 21 pieces per colour, 20 × 20 board
- 2 to 4 players, aged 7 and up, on a board of 20 by 20 squares.
- Each player chooses a colour and takes its 21 pieces: 1 one-square piece, 1 two-square piece, 2 of three squares, 5 of four and 12 of five, 89 squares in all.
- Choose a first player; play then goes clockwise.
- With two players, one plays blue and red, the other yellow and green, in the order blue, yellow, red, green.
- With three players, each has their own colour, and the fourth is played in turn by all three players, still in the order blue, yellow, red, green.
How to play
1 piece per turn, 1st piece in a corner, Corner yes, side no
- On your turn, place a single piece.
- The first piece of each colour must cover a corner square of the board.
- Each following piece must touch at least one piece of its colour at a corner, and never along a side.
- Contact with other colours is free, along the sides as well as at the corners.
- Once placed, a piece never moves.
- If you can no longer place a piece, you pass; the others carry on.
Scoring
Basic: squares left, Advanced: −1 per square, +15 if all placed
- Basic scoring: each player counts the squares of their pieces left off the board; the lowest total wins.
- Advanced scoring: each square left off the board costs 1 point; having placed all 21 pieces earns 15 points, plus 5 more if the last piece placed was the one-square piece. The highest score wins.
- With two players, each player adds up their two colours. With three, the shared colour counts for nobody.
- In Marquoir, you choose the scoring when you start the game. With basic scoring, enter the squares left off the board, and the lowest total wins. With advanced scoring, enter −1 per square left, +15 if every piece is placed, +20 if the last piece was the one-square piece, and the highest total wins.
End of the game
Nobody can place, Basic: lowest total, Advanced: highest score
- The game ends when nobody can place a piece any more.
- With basic scoring, the fewest squares left wins; with advanced scoring, the highest score.
House rules and pitfalls
Play the big pieces early: kept for the end, they no longer find room.
- Play the big pieces early: kept for the end, they no longer find room.
- Open up towards the centre rather than running along the edges: there are more corners available there.
- With advanced scoring, keeping the one-square piece for last can earn 5 more points.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Variants
Scoring
Basic: squares left, the lowest total wins
Advanced: −1 per square, +15 all placed, +20 single square last
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
How do you score in Blokus?
The rules offer two ways. Basic: count the squares of the pieces not placed, and the lowest total wins. Advanced: minus 1 point per square not placed, plus 15 for placing everything, plus 20 if your last piece was the one-square piece; the highest score wins.
Where do you place your first piece in Blokus?
On a corner square of the board. After that, each piece must touch a piece of its colour at a corner, never along a side.
Can you touch pieces of other colours?
Yes, without any restriction: only pieces of the same colour must not touch along a side.
How do you play Blokus with two players?
Each player takes two colours, blue and red against yellow and green, played in the order blue, yellow, red, green. At the end, add up the squares or the scores of your two colours.
And with three players?
Each player takes one colour; the fourth is played in turn by all three players, and its score counts for nobody.