Playing the Game

Mouse: Right Click to change tiles, Left Click to play.

Touch: Tap Board to change tiles, Tap Play Icon to play.

Keyboard: Arrows to move, Space to change tiles, Enter to play.

Tutorial

Play the tutorial to learn about placement, forced play, loops, lines and game modes.

Rules of Trax

1. TRAX is played with identical square tiles on which sections of black and white track join adjacent edges on one side and opposite edges on the other side.
2. Two players determine by prior agreement who shall be represented by each coloured track.
3. The game is won by the player whose track forms a loop or a line (a) during that player's completed turn or (b) during an opponent's completed turn in which the opponent's track does not also form a loop or a line.
4. A loop is a continuous path of track that connects with itself. A white loop:
5. A line is a continuous path of track that connects opposite and outermost edges of the tiles in play, over at least 8 rows of tiles, across or down. A horizontal white line:
6. Commencing with the White player, each player at each turn places a tile, either side up, on any flat surface. A right click selects a different tile; a left click places the tile.
7. After the first turn, each tile must be placed edge to edge alongside any tile or tiles already in play so as to always join sections of same coloured track to each other. eg. → giving
8. Each player may join track of either or both colours in any turn.
9. Forced play - If a tile played in any turn forms an adjacent space or spaces into which same coloured track enters from two edges, that same player must play a further tile into each such space so as to join up the same coloured track, be it white or black, as part of that turn. A forced play may itself require further forced plays to be made. eg. playing this forces this then this giving this
10. If a forced play forms an adjacent space into which same coloured track enters from more than two edges, that whole turn is illegal and uncomplete and must be replayed. This can happen but it rather rare.
11. 8x8 Trax - By prior agreement, a version of TRAX may be played which is limited to 8 rows across and down. As these limits are reached, tiles must be played into remaining spaces until a win is achieved or all tiles that can be legally played have been played, in which case the game is drawn.
12. LoopTrax is another TRAX variant where forming a line doesn't win the game.