Online playing

Hex can be played online either using a web-based format or via e-mail.

Web-based games

Web-based games can be played either in real-time, where moves are made within minutes (or even seconds), or turn-based, where a player has days for one move.

Realtime playing sites

The most popular sites (approximatively ordered by the number of hex games played on them daily) are:

• igGameCenter for real-time play, with time settings, and ranking (it has many connection games).
• Board Game Arena supports real-time as well as turn-based play
• boardspace for real-time play
• http://www.ludoteka.com/ for real-time play
• http://games.wtanaka.com/hex for real-time or turn-based play

Turn-based playing sites

• Little Golem for turn-based play (also has other games).
• Board Game Arena
• See also Richard's server. One can play completely by e-mail, but it also has a graphical interface now. Furthermore any sized board is supported.

E-mail-based games

Hex may also be played over e-mail, in a turn-based fashion. The board can be represented in ASCII using either the full or compact formats below. The full layout is rotated 90 degrees from the compact one. (A fixed-width font is required for either board to display correctly in an e-mail client.)

Compact layouts:

           A B C D E F G H I
         1  . . . . . . . . .
          2  . . . . . . . V .
           3  . . V . . . . V .
            4  . . . V . . . . .
             5  . . . . . . V . .
              6  . . V H H H V . .
               7  . . . . . . H . .
                8  . H . V . H . . .
                 9  . H . . . . . . .



                /.\                       
               /. .\
              /. . .\
          X  /. . . .\  O
            /. . . . .\
           /. . . O . .\
          /. . O . . . .\
         /. . . . . . . .\
         . . X O X . . . . 
         \. . . . . . . ./ 
          \. . X . . . ./
           \. . . . . ./
            \. . . . ./
          O  \. . . ./  X
              \. . ./
               \. ./
                \./
 

Full layout:

               O _ X
             O _/ \_ X
           O _/ \_/ \_ X
         O _/ \_/ \_/ \_ X
       O _/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_ X
     O _/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_ X
   O _/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_ X
 O _/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_ X
 _/ \_/ \_/O\_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_ 
/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/X\_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \
\_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ 
 X\_/ \_/ \_/O\_/O\_/X\_/ \_/ \_/O 
   X\_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/O 
     X\_/ \_/ \_/X\_/ \_/ \_/O
       X\_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/O 
         X\_/ \_/ \_/ \_/O 
           X\_/ \_/ \_/O 
             X\_/ \_/O 
               X\_/O 
                

Services for game analysis

There are some services in the net, which help one play out different variations, analyze the games and share game records.

• TRMPH has 3 board sizes: 11, 13 and 19.

• Hex master is a service for analyzing and commenting games from Little golem.

• Hex editor (dead link) by Gwylim Ashley. Still in development. Support any size of the board, and creates different lines of variations, labeled with numbers.

All 3 websites can import games from Little golem.