How to play Sprouts
- Choose how many starting dots (2 to 5).
- Drag from a dot to another dot to draw a line.
- A new dot appears on your line. Each dot can have at most three lines.
- The player who cannot make a move loses.
Maths skills this game builds
- Strategic thinking and planning ahead
- Spatial reasoning
- Fair play and taking turns
- Early ideas from topology
Tips for parents and carers
- Start with 2 or 3 dots. The game gets longer and more complicated with more.
- Ask: “Can you predict who will win?”
- You can play Sprouts anywhere with just paper and a pencil.
Using Sprouts with a group or class
- Perfect as a paper-and-pencil challenge for pairs. The pad on screen helps you demonstrate the rules.
- Players should check by eye that lines do not cross, as the pad does not check this.
- Discuss: how many moves can a game last with 2 dots? (At most 3 × 2 − 1 = 5 moves.)
Frequently asked questions
What are the rules of Sprouts?
Draw a line between two dots without crossing another line, then add a new dot on it. No dot may have more than three lines. The last player to move wins.
Does the pad check for crossing lines?
Not yet. It checks lines start and end on dots with spare lives. Players should make sure lines do not cross.
Who invented Sprouts?
Sprouts was invented by mathematicians John Conway and Michael Paterson in 1967.