The short answer: the board above is Stratego Online — a free, open-source web version of the game, built by Ben Letchford, that runs in the browser with no download and no sign-up. You can be matched with a stranger in one click, or open a private game and hand the link to a friend.
Two ways to start a match
The app gives you two doors, and they are not the same thing:
- Get matched with someone online. One click puts you in a live match against a random player, which is the fastest route to a real opponent.
- Play with a friend. This opens a private game and gives you a link to pass on, so you and someone you know play each other instead of a stranger.
If you would rather not face another person at all, the computer opponent on the home page is the gentler place to begin — you can stare at the board, count pieces and lose without anyone watching.
How it compares to the other boards on this site
| Opponent | Needs a second person | Account | |
|---|---|---|---|
| This page (Stratego Online) | Stranger or a friend | Yes for the friend mode | No |
| Official browser version on the home page | Computer or online | No | Optional |
| Master of the Flag | Computer only | No | No |
The three share the same 10×10 board, forty pieces a side and hidden ranks, so the tactics you learn on one carry over to the others.
Ranks: what the numbers mean
This version uses the American ranking style, where 10 is the Marshal and lower numbers are lower ranks. In every battle the higher number wins and the losing piece leaves the board, with two exceptions worth memorising before your first move:
- The Spy (the lowest rank) can take the Marshal — but only when it attacks, not when it is attacked.
- The Bomb destroys everything that touches it; only the Miner can defuse it.
The full rank table, with every piece in order, sits in the rules section of the home page.
Habits that pay off online
- Send Scouts out first. They are cheap and fast, and losing one tells you where a Bomb or a Marshal is not.
- Do not chase a Scout with your Marshal. A player who leads with a Scout is usually fishing for exactly that.
- Keep the Spy until the Marshal appears. A Spy spent on a Captain is a wasted Spy.
- Move the Flag before it is obvious. If your flag has not moved once by the middle game, your opponent will guess the corner.
- Count what is left. Forty pieces each, and every battle removes one from one side or the other — the arithmetic is the strategic map.
If the board does not open
The game loads in an embedded frame, so the usual causes are local: refresh the page once, turn off ad and script blockers for this site, or try another browser. If the frame still stays blank, the app itself is reachable at stratego.io — same open-source version, same rules.
Keep playing
- Play the official browser version directly against the computer.
- Master of the Flag — the single-player take on the same game.
- How to play Stratego — the ranks, movement and battle rules in full.