<p>The X is the only piece which cannot be played first.</p>

<p>There is also a smaller (14x14 board) version of the game
for 2 colors, called Duo, or sometimes Travel Blokus,
and the starting point for that is 5 squares in from the
corner on the diagonal.</p>

<p>In that game any piece can be played first, and the X is often chosen.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-08T17:03:10.360Z
2014-07-08T17:03:10.360Z
T G
<p>According to the rues, "The first piece played by each player must cover a corner square." They show an example of an illegal first move, as a piece that "surrounds" the corner without touching it, like an X would. This does mean that the X cannot ever be the first piece.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.mindware.com/Blobs/22021_inst_blokus.pdf">http://www.mindware.com/Blobs/22021_inst_blokus.pdf</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-08T17:40:25.660Z
How can an X be the first piece? Any way you turn it, there's no way you can fit it in a corner.
bigblind
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-09T20:43:44.680Z
I said that it CAN'T ever be the first piece.
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-10T07:39:20.373Z
oh, sorry. I misread.
bigblind
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-08T15:14:55.200Z
2014-02-08T15:14:55.200Z
GendoIkari
<p>When a player plays his first piece, does it have to cover the corner square? For example, can one play his X piece as first piece?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-08T19:50:02.570Z
I'm not the only Blokus player? :-D Yay!!!
corsiKa
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-03-06T02:50:52.433Z
Standard rules would prohibit playing X first.  If all players agree, you can use any non-standard rules you like, including playing X first or starting away from the corner, for example.
T G
<blokus>
Does the first piece in a standard blokus game have to have a square on a corner cell?
bigblind
# Does the first piece in a standard blokus game have to have a square on a corner cell?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-02-08)

When a player plays his first piece, does it have to cover the corner square? For example, can one play his X piece as first piece?

**Tags:** blokus

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I'm not the only Blokus player? :-D Yay!!!  
> **username_2**: Standard rules would prohibit playing X first.  If all players agree, you can use any non-standard rules you like, including playing X first or starting away from the corner, for example.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-02-08. Score: 8 | Accepted answer

According to the rues, "The first piece played by each player must cover a corner square." They show an example of an illegal first move, as a piece that "surrounds" the corner without touching it, like an X would. This does mean that the X cannot ever be the first piece.

<http://www.mindware.com/Blobs/22021_inst_blokus.pdf>

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: How can an X be the first piece? Any way you turn it, there's no way you can fit it in a corner.  
> **username_3**: I said that it CAN'T ever be the first piece.  
> **username_0**: oh, sorry. I misread.  

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### Answer by username_2 on 2014-07-08. Score: 2

The X is the only piece which cannot be played first.

There is also a smaller (14x14 board) version of the game
for 2 colors, called Duo, or sometimes Travel Blokus,
and the starting point for that is 5 squares in from the
corner on the diagonal.

In that game any piece can be played first, and the X is often chosen.


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