Matches take place on an 8×8 board viewed from above. On a turn, a player places a disc in an empty square only when at least one straight line of opposing discs is enclosed between the new disc and another disc of the player's color.

All enclosed discs are flipped, and turns alternate. The objective is to control more squares than the opponent when the board is full or no legal move remains. Progression is match-based rather than character-based, with the challenge coming from selecting moves and adapting to the changing position.

Early in a match, avoid giving the opponent easy access to corner squares. Stable discs near the edges can become valuable, but edge moves are not automatically safe if they expose a corner.

Count legal moves as well as discs. Restricting the opponent's choices, preserving mobility, and planning several flips ahead are generally more useful than gaining a large number of discs immediately.