How to Play Stratego

This is a playable walkthrough of classic Stratego, written for a first match in the browser. It is not a reprint of a boxed manual. Keep the homepage board or the play page open and follow the steps.

1. Place the army

Fill your four rows. On this site, Play now randomizes both sides. Set up myself lets you tap a rank in the tray, then a square, or swap two of your pieces. The computer’s pieces stay hidden. Details: Stratego setup.

2. Move

Select a piece, then a highlighted square. Most pieces step one square. Scouts slide. Flags and Bombs stay put. Keyboard: arrows move the focus, Enter selects, Escape cancels. Touch uses the same tap-then-tap pattern.

3. Attack

Stepping onto an enemy reveals both ranks. The loser leaves. Equal ranks both leave. A Miner can take a Bomb; a Spy can take a Marshal only by attacking. The piece table lists every clash.

4. Win

Land on the Flag, or leave the computer with no legal move. The status line says which. The match is saved in this browser until you click New game.

For the full judges’ sheet see Stratego rules. For ideas after the first probes, open Stratego strategy.