Wall Rush
Race to the far side — or drop a wall and send your rival the long way around.
- Players
- 2–4
- Length
- ~10 min
- Genre
- Abstract strategy
Wall Rush is an abstract strategy game where every turn forces a choice between two jobs: move yourself forward, or get in someone else's way. The board is 9x9, your pawn starts in the middle of one edge, and you have to reach the opposite one.
The second job is walls. A wall is two squares long, sits in the gap between rows, and sends a rival the long way around. You have a finite number of them, and every wall you place is a turn you did not spend moving.
Four at a table changes the shape of it: an 11x11 board, one player on each side, and a single shared target — the golden square in the very centre. First one there wins, and the other three lose.
Sealing someone in is not allowed: no wall may leave a player without a route to their edge. So the game never collapses into building a prison — only into an argument about whose journey is longer.
How to play
- 1Create a room, pick a mode, and send friends the link or the six-character code.
- 2Pawns start in the middle of their own edges. In a duel or a team game the target is any square on the opposite edge; four at a table it is the golden centre square.
- 3On your turn do exactly one thing: step to an adjacent square (tap it, or use the arrow keys), or drag a wall from the tray onto the board — R or Space turns it while you hold it.
- 4Face to face with another pawn, hop over it; if a wall or the edge is behind it, step around the side.
- 5Watch your wall count — once they are gone, all you can do is run.
- 6First pawn home wins. In 2v2 either partner getting there wins it for both.
Highlights
- Four modes: 1v1, three-way, 2v2 and four at a table
- 9x9 board for the duel and the team game, 11x11 for three or four
- 10 walls each in a duel, 8 each for three, 5 each in a team game, 7 each in a four
- Illegal walls are greyed out — the route rule is checked before you can place one
- Turn timer, configurable when the room is created
- Series score carried across rematches
Tactics and tips
- Count the difference, not the damage. A wall that adds two steps to a rival costs you one turn of your own, so you are only one step ahead.
- Save walls for the endgame. One barrier late decides a match; the same barrier on turn two changes almost nothing.
- Do not spend walls on whoever is already behind. Walls are a tool against the leader.
- With four players a wall works on everybody at once: lengthening one rival's route often helps the other two as much as it helps you. Look for walls that lengthen their way to the centre without lengthening yours.
- Partnered up, split your targets. Two walls aimed at the same rival often achieve what one would.
Common mistakes
- Spending walls in the opening to "make a statement", then having nothing left to answer with.
- Placing a wall that adds a single step. That is an even trade, turn for turn, and gains nothing.
- Forgetting the jump and walking the long way around a pawn, losing two or three turns for no reason.
- In a four, fighting the nearest neighbour while the player opposite quietly walks into the centre.
Frequently asked questions
How many players do I need?
Two to four. 1v1 is for exactly two, the three-way race for three, and 2v2 and free-for-all for exactly four.
Can I block a rival completely?
No. No wall may leave anyone without a route to their edge, and the board will not let you place one that does. Walls only lengthen the journey.
How is 2v2 different from four at a table?
The goals and the board. A team game is 9x9 with partners opposite, each running for their own edge, and the pair wins the moment either of them gets home. Four at a table is 11x11 with one shared target in the centre, and exactly one winner.
How many walls does each mode give?
10 in a duel, 8 each for three, 5 each in a team game and 7 each at a four-player table. Forty walls on one board would turn it into a maze where movement nearly stops, so the allowance per player shrinks as the table grows.
Do I need to install anything?
No. It runs in the browser on desktop and mobile, and an account is optional.