Conquer · Strategy guide
Conquer (Kepung Titik) strategy: build nets, not rings
Why strong players count how many moves an enclosure needs, when sacrificing a dot is worth it, how empty rings trap the unwary, and how the scoring method should change your play.
The short answer
- Count how many moves an enclosure needs — that number, not the ring itself, is the real threat.
- Keep dots connected, and use diagonal chains: they cover more ground per dot.
- Never chase an escaping dot into open space; attack towards your own strength.
- An empty ring captures nothing but traps anything played inside it later.
- Capture in small tight rings — large captured areas can be enclosed and your opponent's dots revived.
It is a game about nets, not rings
Beginners look for completed rings. Strong players look for nets — shapes that are two or three moves from becoming a ring, where the opponent cannot escape in time. Every good move in this game either tightens a net or breaks one.
- How many moves would it take to enclose that dot? That number is the real threat level.
- Can it run? A dot near your wall can be chased; a dot in open space cannot be caught.
- What am I giving away? Every dot you place is also a dot that can be surrounded.
Level 1 — Basic: do not wander alone
1. Keep your dots connected
A lone dot far from your others is free material. Place dots within one step — including diagonal steps — of what you already have.
2. Diagonals are your friend
Because dots connect diagonally, a diagonal chain is a wall. It is also cheaper than a straight one: fewer dots cover the same distance.
3. Do not chase into open space
Following an enemy dot across empty paper never catches it. Attack towards your own strength so the net has somewhere to close.
4. Watch the edge
You cannot use the border as part of a ring, so a wall near the edge has to bend all the way round. Beginners assume the corner is safe; it is not, but capturing there costs more dots than they expect.
5. Count before you rescue
A dot that is one move from being surrounded usually cannot be saved. Adding dots to a doomed group is the most common way beginners lose twice.
Level 2 — Intermediate: shape, sacrifice and empty rings
Build walls that do two jobs
The efficient move extends your own enclosure and restricts theirs. Look for placements on the boundary between two developing areas, where a single dot is part of both stories.
The sacrifice
Because captured dots seal territory, a deliberate sacrifice can be strong: let them take one dot in a small pocket, and use the moves you gain to build a much larger enclosure elsewhere. A capture costs the capturer moves too.
Empty rings as traps
A ring with nothing inside it captures nothing — but it is a permanent trap. Any enemy dot played inside is taken immediately. Leaving an obvious-looking gap inside your own wall is a standard intermediate trick, because it looks like a weakness and is not.
Think about the revival rule
Your captured dots are not gone forever: if you can enclose the area holding them, they revive. This means:
- When capturing, prefer small, tight rings that are hard to enclose in turn.
- When you have lost dots, look for a big enclosing wall around the whole area rather than local fighting.
Level 3 — Advanced: counting nets, tempo and the endgame
Count the net, exactly
Advanced play is arithmetic. For each threatened group, count how many moves the attacker needs to close the ring, and how many the defender needs to break out or to build a counter-ring. Whoever is ahead by one move wins that fight — and the count is usually decidable.
Tempo: threats that must be answered
A move that reduces an enclosure from three moves to two forces a reply. Chaining forcing moves lets you build your own position while your opponent defends, exactly as in Go. Players who never make forcing moves spend the whole game reacting.
Territory versus dots
The scoring method should change your play:
- Dot scoring — capture efficiently. A ring that catches four dots with eight of your own is excellent; one that catches one dot with twelve is bad.
- Territory scoring — build big. Wide enclosures are worth their area, so slow wall-building pays and small captures do not.
Endgame: sealing and counting
As the paper fills, the game turns into a sequence of forced sealing moves. Practical technique:
- Close your own vulnerable pockets before they become traps against you.
- Count the boundary: in a race between two unfinished rings, whoever moves first usually wins, so calculate before starting.
- Do not leave a single gap in a large wall — a wall that is one dot from complete is a wall your opponent can invert into a capture of their own.
Against an engine
An engine counts nets perfectly and will never mis-time a race, so direct fighting is a losing plan. What works is complexity: create several unfinished fights at once, in places where the trade of one net for another is a judgement call rather than a calculation.
Common mistakes
- Placing isolated dots in open space.
- Chasing an escaping dot away from your own strength.
- Feeding a lost group with more dots.
- Capturing greedily and building a huge captured area that can be enclosed and revived.
- Ignoring empty rings and walking into one.
- Playing territory-style under dot scoring, or the reverse.
Common questions
How do I stop my dots being captured?
Stay connected to your own groups, and count: if an enclosure needs three moves and you can break out in two, you are safe. If it needs one move, the group is usually already lost.
Are diagonal connections useful?
Very. A diagonal chain covers more ground per dot than a straight one and still forms a valid ring, which is why it is the standard way to build a wall quickly.
Should I sacrifice dots?
Sometimes. A capture costs the capturer moves too, so giving up one dot in a small pocket to build a much larger enclosure elsewhere is often a good trade.
What is an empty ring good for?
It is a trap. It captures nothing when closed, but any enemy dot played inside it afterwards is taken immediately — so a gap in your wall may be bait rather than a weakness.
Can captured dots come back?
Yes — if the area containing them is later enclosed by their owner, they revive. That makes large captured territories a liability as well as a score.
Does scoring by dots or territory change strategy?
Completely. Dot scoring rewards tight, efficient captures; territory scoring rewards big enclosing walls. Agree the method before you start.
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