Stratego rules

Set up your army

Each player has 40 pieces. Place them in the four rows closest to you, with their ranks hidden from the opponent. Leave the two middle rows empty. The two lakes cannot contain pieces.

On BoardClash, you play red and move first. A legal formation is ready for you. Select two of your pieces to swap them, or generate another formation before starting.

Make one move

• Select one of your moving pieces, then select a highlighted destination.
• Move one square forwards, backwards, left or right. Diagonal moves are not allowed.
• Do not move through pieces, onto your own pieces, or into or across a lake.
• Scouts may travel any distance along a clear straight line. They can attack an enemy at the end of that line.
• Bombs and the Flag stay in their starting squares throughout the game.

Resolve an encounter

Attack by moving onto an enemy piece’s square. Both ranks are revealed. The higher number wins. A winning attacker occupies the target square; a winning defender stays in place. Equal ranks remove both pieces.

The table below covers the exceptions. Your battle log explains each encounter using the same rules as the game.

Keep the game moving

A piece may cross between the same two squares at most three consecutive times: A to B, B to A, then A to B. A fourth crossing is illegal. The game prevents that move.

Repeated board positions do not automatically end a game in a draw. This browser edition uses the movement limits of its stated Original ruleset.

Capture the flag

You win by capturing the opposing Flag. You also win when the opponent has no legal move on their turn, including when their remaining moving pieces are trapped. You can resign from the game controls.

What the computer knows

The beginner computer receives its own army and the information revealed through play. It can remember battles, pieces that have moved and a Scout’s long move. It does not receive the true ranks of your unrevealed pieces.

Known enemy ranks remain marked as a memory aid. This also applies to the computer. The game state is saved in this browser after each move.

Questions before your first game

• Can I attack diagonally? No. All moves and attacks follow a row or column.
• Does a Bomb disappear after an attack? Only when attacked by a Miner. Other attackers are removed and the Bomb remains.
• Can a Scout capture the Flag from a distance? Yes, if the entire straight path is clear.
• Can a Spy defend against a Marshal? No. The Spy must be the attacker.
• Do I need another player? No. This version provides a beginner computer opponent.