Board Games

Quoridor - Rules, History & Strategy Guide

Q: How many walls do you get in Quoridor?

Each player gets 10 walls in the standard two player game.

Quoridor is a two-player abstract strategy game played on a 9×9 board. Each turn you either move your pawn one square or place one of your ten walls to slow your opponent, and the first pawn to reach the opposite side wins. A typical game lasts 10 to 20 minutes.

Reviewed & updated 2026-07-16

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History & Origins

Quoridor was created by Mirko Marchesi and published in 1997 by French game company Gigamic. It won the Mensa Select award and multiple other honors for its elegant simplicity.

The game distills abstract strategy into two clean choices each turn: move or wall. That simplicity makes it easy to learn but remarkably deep once you start thinking several moves ahead.

How to Play

The goal is to be the first player to reach the opposite side of the board.

On your turn, either move your pawn one square orthogonally or place a wall.
Walls are two squares long and block movement through those squares.
Each player has 10 walls total for the entire game.
You cannot place a wall that completely blocks your opponent from reaching their goal row.
The first player to reach any square on the opposite row wins.

Strategy Tips

Strong Quoridor play combines efficient pathfinding with disruptive wall placement.

Place early walls near the center where they affect the most possible paths.
Force your opponent into long detours while keeping your own path short.
Balance wall use: saving walls for the endgame is powerful, but waiting too long means your opponent races ahead.
Count shortest paths for both players before deciding whether to move or wall.

Variations

The standard game is 2-player on a 9x9 board. A 4-player variant exists where each player starts from one edge with 5 walls each. Some variants use larger boards or asymmetric wall counts.

Play Quoridor on Arcadia

Play Quoridor on Arcadia to race, block, and outmaneuver an AI opponent one wall at a time.

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Quick Answers

How do you win Quoridor?

Be the first player to move your pawn to any square on the opposite side of the board.

Can you completely block your opponent in Quoridor?

No. The rules require that every wall placement must leave at least one path open for both players to reach their goal row.

How many walls do you get in Quoridor?

Each player gets 10 walls in the standard two-player game.

Is Quoridor a game of luck or skill?

Quoridor is pure skill. There are no dice or hidden information — both players see the board, the pawns and every remaining wall, so the result comes down to pathfinding and wall timing. It belongs to the same perfect-information family as chess and Go.

How long does a game of Quoridor take?

A typical game lasts 10 to 20 minutes. Beginners often finish faster because they spend their walls early, while experienced players stretch games out by holding walls back for the endgame race.

Can you jump over your opponent in Quoridor?

Yes. When the two pawns stand face to face, you may jump straight over your opponent to the square directly beyond. If a wall or the board edge blocks that landing square, you may step to one of the diagonal squares beside the opposing pawn instead.

How big is a Quoridor board?

The standard board is 9×9 — 81 squares — with grooves between them where walls slot in. Players share 20 walls, 10 each, and every wall spans two squares. The four-player variant uses the same board with five walls per player.

Who invented Quoridor?

Quoridor was designed by Mirko Marchesi and published by the French company Gigamic in 1997. It won the Mensa Select award and became one of the best-known modern abstracts alongside stablemates such as Quarto and Pylos.

Should you move your pawn or place a wall first in Quoridor?

Most strong players advance the pawn in the opening rather than spending walls early. Walls are a limited resource — you only have ten — so the usual advice is to race until a wall clearly buys you more distance than a step does, then place it where it forces the longest detour.

What happens when you run out of walls in Quoridor?

Once your ten walls are gone, you can only move your pawn for the rest of the game. That turns the endgame into a pure race, which is why wall counting matters: the player with walls in hand controls the final stretch. Spending your last wall carelessly often loses the game.

Can you play Quoridor online for free?

Yes. Arcadia offers free Quoridor in the browser against an AI opponent — no download or account required. It is a convenient way to practise counting shortest paths before facing human opposition.