How to play Stratego
Stratego is a two-player battle of hidden ranks. You know your own army; your opponent is a wall of blank pieces. Information is the real currency, and the player who reads the board best captures the Flag.
Objective
Win by capturing your opponent's Flag, or by leaving them with no legal move. Every piece keeps its rank hidden until it fights, so scouting, bluffing and memory decide games as much as raw strength.
The board and setup
The board is a 10 by 10 grid. Each player owns the four rows closest to them, a 40-cell zone, and arranges all 40 pieces there in secret before play. Two lakes sit in the middle two rows and block movement, funneling attacks into lanes. Good setups tuck the Flag in a corner behind a wall of Bombs and keep a Miner in reserve to answer the opponent's own bomb line.
The pieces
Each army has 40 pieces. Higher strength wins a straight fight; Bombs and the Flag never move.
| Piece | Strength | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshal | 10 | 1 | Strongest, but the Spy kills it on the attack. |
| General | 9 | 1 | Beats all but the Marshal. |
| Colonel | 8 | 2 | Heavy hitter. |
| Major | 7 | 3 | Mid-strong workhorse. |
| Captain | 6 | 4 | Reliable attacker. |
| Lieutenant | 5 | 4 | Mid rank. |
| Sergeant | 4 | 4 | Low rank, useful as a probe. |
| Miner | 3 | 5 | The only piece that defuses a Bomb. |
| Scout | 2 | 8 | Moves any distance in a straight line. |
| Spy | 1 | 1 | Kills the Marshal when it attacks first. |
| Bomb | immovable | 6 | Destroys any attacker except a Miner. |
| Flag | immovable | 1 | Capture it to win. |
Movement
Red moves first, then turns alternate. On your turn you move one piece to an adjacent empty square, up, down, left or right. The one exception is the Scout, which slides any number of empty squares in a straight line. Bombs and the Flag cannot move at all. Once a piece moves, your opponent knows it is not a Bomb or the Flag, so even a quiet step gives something away.
Combat resolution
To attack, move onto a square held by an enemy. Both ranks reveal for that clash, then:
- The higher strength wins; the lower piece is removed.
- Equal ranks both die and leave the board.
- A Bomb destroys any attacker, unless it is a Miner, who defuses it and survives.
- The Spy beats the Marshal only when the Spy is the attacker. If the Marshal attacks the Spy, rank wins.
- Attacking the Flag captures it and ends the game.
Beginner tips
- Do not rush your Marshal forward. Once it is revealed, the enemy Spy hunts it.
- Use Scouts to map ranks cheaply before committing your strong pieces.
- Protect the Flag with Bombs, but keep at least one bluff bomb elsewhere to mislead.
- Track every revealed rank. Memory is a real edge in a hidden-information game.
Stratego rules FAQ
What beats the Marshal in Stratego?
The Marshal is the strongest movable piece, but the Spy defeats it if the Spy is the attacker. If the Marshal attacks the Spy, the Marshal wins.
How do Bombs work?
A Bomb destroys any piece that attacks it, with one exception: a Miner defuses the Bomb and survives. Bombs never move.
How far can a Scout move?
A Scout moves any number of empty squares in a straight line, horizontally or vertically, which makes it the best piece for probing enemy ranks.
What happens when two equal ranks fight?
Both pieces are removed from the board. Equal ranks trade off, so attacking with a matched piece is a deliberate sacrifice.
How do you win at Stratego?
Capture the opponent's Flag. You can also win if your opponent has no legal moves left. Boarden also resolves dead positions that neither side can break.
Ready to play?
Put the rules to work. Open the lobby to start a 1v1 game against a bot or a friend, or read the Stratego overview for why Boarden's version stands out.