What is Quoridor? Rules and How to Play

Quoridor is a two-player abstract strategy game with a deceptively simple goal: be the first to walk your pawn across the board to the opposite side. The twist is that on every turn you can either move your pawn or place a wall to slow your opponent down. That one choice — run or block — creates a surprisingly deep game out of rules you can learn in five minutes.

The game was designed by Mirko Marchesi and published by Gigamic in 1997, and it won the Mensa Mind Game award that same year. It has since become a modern classic, often mentioned alongside games like Hive and Onitama as one of the best "easy to learn, hard to master" strategy games. You can play Quoridor free online here against other people or the computer — but first, here's how it works.

The board and pieces

Quoridor is played on a 9×9 board of 81 squares. Each player has:

• One pawn, which starts on the center square of the player's back row.
• Ten walls (in the two-player game). Each wall is two squares long and is placed in the grooves between squares, never on them.

The goal

You win by moving your pawn to any square on the opposite edge of the board — the row your opponent started on. You don't need to reach a specific square; any of the nine squares on the far side wins immediately.

On your turn: move or block

Players alternate turns. On your turn you must do exactly one of two things:

1. Move your pawn one square, or
2. Place one wall (if you have any left).

There is no passing. If you're out of walls, you must move your pawn.

Moving your pawn

Pawns move one square at a time — up, down, left, or right. You can't move diagonally (with one exception, below), you can't cross a wall, and you can't land on the square your opponent's pawn occupies. Moving backwards or sideways is completely legal, and sometimes it's the right move.

The jump rule

When the two pawns stand face to face on adjacent squares, the pawn whose turn it is may jump straight over the other pawn, landing on the square directly behind it. This costs one turn like any other move, so a jump effectively gains you a free square — worth remembering in a close race.

If a wall (or the edge of the board) sits directly behind the opponent's pawn so the straight jump is impossible, you may instead step diagonally to either open square beside their pawn.

Placing walls

Instead of moving, you can spend your turn placing one of your walls. Walls are the heart of Quoridor, and three rules govern them:

• Walls are two squares long. Each wall blocks movement across the edge between two adjacent pairs of squares, placed horizontally or vertically in the grooves of the board.
• Walls can't overlap or cross a wall that's already on the board, and once placed they never move or come off.
• You can never fully trap a pawn. Every placement must leave at least one open path for each pawn to reach its goal row. You may force a huge detour, but a placement that seals off the last path is illegal.

Each player has only ten walls, and they don't come back. Deciding when to spend them is most of the game's strategy.

How the game ends

The first pawn to reach any square on its goal row wins instantly. There are no points and no draws in the standard two-player game — it's a pure race, bent out of shape by walls.

Beginner strategy: five tips

1. Count the race

At any moment, each player has a shortest path to the goal — count the squares. If your path is shorter than your opponent's and it's your turn, you're winning the race, and simply running is often stronger than placing a clever wall. Strong players constantly recount these two numbers.

2. Don't spend walls early

A wall placed in the opening usually costs more than it gains: your opponent adjusts their route cheaply while you've spent a turn and a wall. Early on, prefer moving. Walls gain value as the position tightens and detours get expensive.

3. Walls have two jobs

Blocking your opponent is the obvious use, but walls also protect: a wall placed alongside your own path stops your opponent from cutting you off later. When you're ahead in the race, defensive walls that lock in your route are often the winning resource.

4. Make detours expensive, not annoying

One wall dropped in front of an opponent in open space costs them a square or two at best. Walls hurt most when they work together — steering the opponent into a long corridor or forcing them all the way around an existing structure. Before placing, ask: how many extra squares does this actually cost them?

5. Watch your own path

The most common beginner loss is self-inflicted: building a maze for the opponent and then discovering it also ruined your own route, or that the opponent can close a single gap to send you the long way around. Every wall you place changes the board for both players.

These five ideas will carry you through your first games. When you're ready to go deeper — wall economy, jump timing, endgame counting — read our full guide: Quoridor Strategy: How to Win More Games.

Common beginner mistakes

• Panicking with walls — dropping them one at a time directly in front of the opponent, who steps around each one while you fall behind in the race.
• Hoarding walls forever — the opposite failure. If the race is lost and you still hold ten walls, you saved them for nothing. Spend them while they can still change the outcome.
• Forgetting the jump — a face-to-face jump gains a full tempo. Missing yours (or walking into your opponent's) often decides close endgames.
• Ignoring wall count — if your opponent is out of walls, your shortest path is safe forever. Count their remaining walls before you commit to a route.

Frequently asked questions

Can you move diagonally?

Only via the jump rule: when the opponent's pawn is adjacent and a wall or the board edge blocks the straight jump behind it. There is no other diagonal movement.

Can a wall completely block someone in?

No. Every wall placement must leave at least one path open for each pawn to reach its goal row. Long detours are legal; total blockades are not.

What if I run out of walls?

You move your pawn every turn for the rest of the game. There's no passing in Quoridor.

Can more than two people play?

The boxed game includes a four-player variant where each player gets five walls and starts from the center of one edge. The classic — and competitive — form of the game is the two-player duel, which is what you'll find on this site.

How long does a game take?

Usually 10–20 minutes. Online games with a clock are often faster.