The short answer: Master of the Flag is a free single-player version of Stratego that runs in the frame above — you against the computer, forty pieces a side on the same 10×10 board, with the ranks kept face down exactly as in the tabletop game.
What it is
It is a browser implementation that says it follows the classic rules of Stratego: two armies, forty pieces each, twelve piece types, and every piece hidden from your opponent until a battle forces it to be revealed. The difference from a two-player game is only who sits across from you — the app plays the other side itself.
The rules it keeps
Three rule details decide most games, and this version follows all of them:
- Higher rank wins. When two pieces meet, the higher-ranked piece stays and the lower one leaves the board. Equal ranks remove both.
- The Spy can take the Marshal, which is the only way a rank-1 piece beats a rank-10 piece.
- Only the Miner can defuse a Bomb. Everything else that touches a Bomb is destroyed.
Because it follows the classic rules rather than a simplified variant, the tactics you learn here move straight across to a game against a person — see the full rank table and movement rules in the how to play section of the home page.
Playing on a phone
Pieces are moved by tapping to select and then tapping the square you want, which suits a small screen better than dragging. The board scales to the screen width, so the whole 10×10 grid stays visible without horizontal scrolling.
Against the computer vs against a person
A computer opponent is the right place to learn the board: it never gets tired, it does not care how long you take over a move, and you can lose twenty games in a row without embarrassment. When the ranks start to feel familiar, move on to a live opponent — the online version matches you with a stranger or opens a private game with a friend.
Beginner mistakes worth skipping
- Do not lead with your Marshal. It kills the first thing it meets and then gets hunted for the rest of the game.
- Test with Scouts. Cheap, fast, and losing one costs you almost nothing.
- Keep two Miners alive. Without a Miner you cannot remove a Bomb, and the flag is usually behind one.
- Leave the Flag somewhere plausible. A flag in the corner is the first place a human opponent probes.
If the board does not open
The game loads in an embedded frame, so if the area above stays blank, refresh once, allow scripts for this site in your ad blocker, or switch browsers. The same app is also reachable directly at masteroftheflag.jayoogee.com.
Keep playing
- Play the official browser version of Stratego against the computer.
- Stratego Online — live matches against a stranger or a friend.
- How to play Stratego — every rank, in order.