Board Games 🇫🇷France21st century

Blokus

ABSTRACT STRATEGY territory-placement game invented by FRENCH designer BERNARD TAVITIAN in 2000, published by SEKKOISHA (Japan) + later MATTEL. 2-4 players (or 2 in Duo variant) place 21 TETRIS-LIKE POLYOMINO PIECES onto 20x20 grid; each new piece MUST TOUCH one of your OWN prior pieces AT A CORNER (never edge-to-edge). Score = squares placed (positive) minus squares left over (penalty). SIMPLE RULES, DEEP STRATEGY — 15 min per game. Ideal FAMILY + STRATEGY intro. Won 2003 MENSA SELECT + numerous other awards. 4M+ copies sold.

📐20x20 grid board (400 squares)⏱~20 min🌤indoor

What is Blokus?

Blokus is ABSTRACT STRATEGY board game invented by FRENCH mathematician + inventor BERNARD TAVITIAN in 2000. Originally published by SEKKOISHA (Japan, small edition). MATTEL acquired publishing rights + released internationally 2003 — became instant classic. GAMEPLAY: 2 or 4 players (max 4 in standard; 2 in Blokus Duo), each starts with 21 POLYOMINO PIECES (Tetris-like shapes made of 1-5 SQUARES): 1x monomino (single square), 1x domino (2 squares), 2x triominos, 5x tetrominos, 12x pentominos = 21 pieces = 89 total squares per player. Board is 20x20 GRID (400 total squares). RULES: (1) Player 1 places first piece touching CORNER of board. (2) Each SUBSEQUENT piece MUST TOUCH one of your OWN previously placed pieces AT A CORNER — NEVER at an EDGE. Pieces of DIFFERENT colors CAN touch on edges (that's how you block opponents). (3) Players alternate placing 1 piece per turn. (4) If you can't place a legal piece, you PASS (though usually placed pieces gradually diminish). (5) Game ends when NO PLAYER CAN PLACE ANOTHER piece. SCORING: (a) Positive: +1 per SQUARE placed on board; (b) Negative: -1 per SQUARE remaining in your unplaced supply; (c) Bonus: +15 if you PLACED ALL 21 PIECES; +5 if your LAST PIECE was the SINGLE SQUARE (monomino). Highest score wins. STRATEGY: BALANCE offense (spreading corners into open space for future placement) with defense (blocking opponents' corners). SAVE SMALL PIECES for late-game when tight spaces need them; play PENTOMINOS EARLY (many squares to gain + spread out). Consider that RIGHT-TURNING pieces let you extend into more of the board. VARIANTS: BLOKUS DUO (2-player on smaller 14x14 board), BLOKUS TRIGON (triangle grid variant), BLOKUS 3D (3D stacking pieces), BLOKUS TO GO (travel version), BLOKUS JUNIOR (simplified). VIDEO GAME: Blokus was released on Nintendo DS + iOS/Android; also part of MATTEL BLOKUS ONLINE. AWARDS: 2003 MENSA SELECT (top American Mensa award for games), 2002 GAMES MAGAZINE Game of the Year, 2004 GRAND PRIX du JOUET (France), IF Design Award. 4+ MILLION UNITS SOLD worldwide since launch. Widely used in ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS + MATH CLASSROOMS to teach spatial reasoning + planning. Bernard Tavitian's other games include DOODY (2007).

Quick facts

How it works

Objective

Place as many of your 21 polyomino pieces on the board as possible. Score maximum squares placed while blocking opponents from placing theirs.

Rules

Basic rules

Each player has 21 POLYOMINO PIECES (Tetris-like shapes of 1-5 squares)
1 monomino + 1 domino + 2 triominos + 5 tetrominos + 12 pentominos = 21.
First piece must touch a CORNER of the board
Each player starts from a different corner in 4-player.
Each subsequent piece MUST TOUCH one of your OWN pieces AT A CORNER — never edge
Diagonal-only self-connections; edges connect to other players.
Different-colored pieces CAN touch on edges (used to BLOCK opponents)
Blocking is offense + defense simultaneously.
Alternate turns placing 1 piece each
Can't reserve pieces; must play or pass.
PASS if you have no legal placement
Once you pass, you're usually out for game.
Game ends when NO PLAYER can place another piece
Board typically 70-90% full.
SCORE: +1 per square placed; -1 per square remaining unplaced; +15 for placing all 21; +5 if last was monomino
Highest score wins.

Scoring

Sum of squares placed minus squares remaining. Bonus for using all pieces + saving monomino for last.

Action	Points
Place 1 square on board	+1 point per square
Piece remains in supply (unplaced)	-1 point per square
Place all 21 pieces (89 squares)	+15 bonus points
Last piece placed was monomino (single square)	+5 bonus points
Perfect game (all pieces + monomino last)	89 + 15 + 5 = 109 points
Typical winning score	60-90 points

Win condition · Player with highest score at game end wins. Ties broken by fewer squares remaining.

Playing area

Called

20x20 grid board (400 squares)

Dimensions

20 x 20 squares

Duo variant: 14x14 board. Trigon variant: triangular grid. Colors: blue, yellow, red, green (or blue vs. red in Duo).

Equipment

Blokus board (20x20 grid) + 84 pieces (21 per color, 4 colors)
Retail: $25-35. Widely available at Target, Amazon.
Blokus Duo — 14x14 board + 42 pieces (2 colors)
$20; strict 2-player.
Blokus Trigon — triangle grid variant
$25-30.
Optional: timer for competitive play
Standard chess clock.
Digital: Blokus on iOS/Android/DS/PC (BOARD GAME ARENA online)
Free online play + AI opponents.

Strategies

PLAY LARGE PENTOMINO PIECES EARLY — 5-square pieces contribute most
Small pieces are more flexible for endgame tight spots.
AIM for the BOARD CENTER — opens more corner-extension paths
Corners give many diagonal options.
BLOCK opponents by EDGE-TOUCHING their corners
Deny future extension paths.
MAINTAIN 3-4 CORNER-ACCESSIBLE spots for future turns
Don't get boxed in.
SAVE MONOMINO for LAST — +5 bonus + fits any tight spot
Single square is your emergency squeeze.
IN 4-PLAYER: attack the LEADING opponent to slow their piece placement
Cooperative blocking of leader.
COUNT SQUARES REMAINING — knowing lets you calc score reliably
Optimal play requires arithmetic.
IN DUO: aggressive centre-play + blocking is more critical (no allies)
1v1 is direct combat.

Terminology

Polyomino: Shape made of connected unit squares (monomino=1, domino=2, triomino=3, tetromino=4, pentomino=5).
Monomino: 1-square piece — smallest + last-play bonus.
Domino: 2-square piece.
Triomino: 3-square piece.
Tetromino: 4-square piece (Tetris shapes).
Pentomino: 5-square piece (12 unique shapes).
Corner Rule: New piece must touch YOUR OWN piece diagonally, never edge.
Blocking: Placing piece edge-to-edge with opponent's corner to deny extension.
Pass: Voluntarily skip turn when no legal placement.
Home Corner: Each player's starting corner (in 4-player).

Major competitions

World Blokus Championship — held periodically online (BGA + others)
occasional · worldwide online · since 2010
Board Game Arena Blokus Rankings — active online competition
continuous · worldwide online · since 2010
Regional strategy game clubs + tournaments
occasional · worldwide · since 2003
Mensa game evenings frequently feature Blokus
ongoing · worldwide · since 2003
No formal professional circuit — casual + educational focus
n/a · n/a

Where it is played

🇬🇱🇴🇧🇦🇱🇅𡆹🇅🇙🇲🇐🇅🇸🇴🇱🇩🇠🇅🇵🇦🇷🇹🇮🇨🇺🇱🇦🇷🇱🇾🇅🇵🇴🇵🇺🇱🇦🇷🇅🇮🇳🇅🇫🇷🇦🇳🇨🇪🇑🇅🇺🇸🇦🇑🇅🇯🇦🇵🇦🇳🇑🇅🇺🇰🇑🇅🇬🇪🇷🇲🇦🇳🇾🇑🇅🇸🇴🇺🇹🇭🇅🇰🇴🇷🇪🇦Global — 4M+ sold; particularly popular in France, USA, Japan, UK, Germany, South Korea

Governing bodies

Mattel (current publisher)
Founded 1945 · El Segundo, CA, USA
Official site ↗
Sekkoisha (original Japanese publisher, 2000)
Founded 1998 · Tokyo, Japan
Bernard Tavitian — Inventor + designer
Founded 1965 · France
Board Game Arena — online play platform
Founded 2010 · Paris, France

Famous names & records

Famous athletes

Bernard Tavitian — Inventor, French mathematician
Various Board Game Arena top-rated Blokus players (usernames only)
Mensa game reviewers who selected Blokus for 2003 Mensa Select
Mattel design + product teams

Learn this sport

beginner

1
Learn CORNER-ONLY placement rule — foundation of Blokus
Practice 10 minutes with any player.
2
Play FIRST GAME with 4 players — casual mode
15-20 minutes.
3
Learn to identify all 21 piece shapes at a glance
Memorize your inventory.

intermediate

1
Practice PLACING PENTOMINOS FIRST — pentominos take most squares
Endgame requires small pieces.
2
Learn to BLOCK opponents by edge-touching their corners
Defense = offense.
3
SCORE COUNT — always track squares placed + remaining
Info-driven play.

advanced

1
PLAY on Board Game Arena — competitive ranked online
Global competition + rating.
2
STUDY expert opening moves + mid-game blocking patterns
Meta-strategy exists.
3
TRY BLOKUS DUO for pure 2-player tactical mastery
Different feel; more aggressive.
4
PLACE ALL 21 PIECES + LAST-MONOMINO for perfect game
89 + 15 + 5 = 109 points — rare achievement.

Frequently asked

Why must pieces only touch at corners?+

Corner-only self-connection is the CORE INNOVATION of Blokus + creates the game's strategic depth. If pieces could touch edge-to-edge (like normal placement games), players would fill areas densely + game would end quickly. Corner-only rule means: (a) pieces SPREAD across board diagonally, not densely; (b) space MULTIPLIES options — each corner has diagonal extensions; (c) BLOCKING becomes fundamental — placing pieces edge-to-edge with opponents kills their expansion; (d) SPATIAL PLANNING is central — you must anticipate 5-10 moves ahead. The rule seems arbitrary but is BEAUTIFUL abstract strategy. Bernard Tavitian designed it in 2000 after experimenting with polyomino games; this constraint elevated Blokus from simple placement to award-winning strategy classic.

Is Blokus good for kids?+

EXCELLENT for kids AGE 7+ — Blokus is one of the BEST FAMILY STRATEGY games because: (a) SIMPLE RULES teach quickly (5-min explanation); (b) VISUAL SPATIAL nature engages young minds; (c) SHORT games (15-30 min) fit attention spans; (d) NO READING REQUIRED once rules known; (e) NO LUCK — pure skill (levels the playing field for strategic kids vs. adults); (f) MENSA SELECT AWARD (2003) validates educational value; (g) MATH TEACHERS use for spatial reasoning + planning lessons. AGE RECOMMENDATIONS: 7+ for full game; 5+ for BLOKUS JUNIOR simplified version. Kids often BEAT adults because their spatial reasoning is fresh + they don't overthink. Adults benefit too — considered great BRAIN EXERCISE. Ideal FAMILY GAME NIGHT title alongside Ticket to Ride + Carcassonne + Azul.

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-26.verified