♟️ Guide

Best Opening Moves in Chain Reaction: Corners, Edges, Center

The first three moves decide very little and reveal a lot. Here is what each opening does and why experienced players almost always start in the same place.

The corner opening

A corner cell has two neighbours, so it bursts at two marbles and can be attacked from only two directions. Your first marble there is safe for several turns and becomes a loaded cell after one more. Two opposite corners give you two anchors for later edge chains. This is the default opening for a reason.

The edge opening

Edges burst at three. An edge marble is nearly as safe as a corner and develops faster towards the centre. On 8×10 boards, where corners are far apart, opening on an edge next to a corner you plan to take is common. See Board Sizes.

The centre opening

Central cells burst at four and are exposed from all sides, so an early centre marble is a liability. It has one use: on a 6×6 board, a quick centre presence can deny your opponent connected chains. Against strong play it is still the weakest start.

Answering your opponent

• They take a corner: take the opposite corner. Contesting the same corner early just loads cells next to each other.
• They take an edge: take the corner that edge leads to, so their edge cell has a loaded neighbour of yours before it is loaded itself.
• They start in the centre: ignore it and take corners. Their centre cell will need four marbles before it threatens anything.

The second and third marble

After the corner, do not load it immediately – a loaded corner is a target for the adjacent edge. Instead take a second corner, then start an edge from the first one. By move five you want two safe anchors and one developing chain, with no loaded cell of yours touching an enemy cell. From there, Strategy Tips takes over.