Infection Strategy: 5 Tips

Infection is about holes and walls. Rules first? See how to play.

1. Clone first

Every clone is a free stone with no downside. Jump only when a clone cannot reach the target.

2. Fear the hole

An empty cell surrounded by your stones is an invitation: one enemy landing there flips up to eight stones. Fill holes near your group before anything else.

3. Land where they are thick

The best move converts the most enemies. Look for an empty cell touching three or four enemy stones and reach it by clone if you can, by jump if you must.

4. Build from the edge

Stones on the edge have fewer neighbours to be attacked from. Expand along edges and corners, then push into the middle with a solid front.

5. Count the fill

Late in the game, count the empty cells and who can reach them. Sometimes the right move is a quiet clone that denies the opponent their last landing spot.

The hard computer searches three plies (five late on) on stone difference and hole liabilities, trying converting clones first; normal looks one move ahead; easy plays at random.

Last updated 2026-10-21