Barricade Strategy: When to Move, When to Wall, and Which Board to Play
Table of contents
Barricade looks like a race, and in a way it is: the first pawn to reach its goal wins. But on any turn you can give up your move to place a wall instead, and that trade - one step of your own against making your opponent's road longer - is the whole game. Played well it is a duel of tempo, close to the classic game Quoridor that inspired it - and to Blockade, the 1970s board game Quoridor itself grew out of, which is why many players search for it as the Blockade game.
The rules that shape every decision
- On your turn you either move your pawn one square or place one wall.
- A wall blocks two squares' worth of edge between tiles.
- You may never seal anyone in: every pawn must always keep at least one path to its goal. A wall that would break that is simply not allowed.
- If a pawn stands next to yours, you can jump straight over it; if a wall blocks the jump, you step diagonally to one side instead.
- In this version walls are unlimited, so the board itself, not a stock of walls, is what limits blocking.
Move or wall? A practical comparison
Move when
- Your shortest path is shorter than your opponent's
- A wall would only delay them by one step
- You are close to the goal and they cannot cut you off
Wall when
- They are ahead in the race
- One wall adds two or more steps to their path
- The wall also protects a lane you plan to use
The question to ask every turn is simple: after my action, whose shortest path is shorter? A wall that costs you one step and costs them three is a win. A wall that costs them one step is a wasted turn.
Board size changes everything
| Board | Players | How it plays |
|---|---|---|
| 7 × 7 | 2 | Short and sharp. Few walls fit, so racing usually beats blocking. Good for learning. |
| 9 × 9 | 2 | The classic size. Room for real wall battles without games dragging on. |
| 11 × 11 - 13 × 13 | 2 | Long games where building a protected corridor early pays off. |
| 11 × 11 - 15 × 15 | 3-4 | Everyone races to a shared centre square. Blocking the leader is a team effort, often unspoken. |
The Barricade game offers all of these, with the computer able to take any seat at easy, medium or hard.
Strategy that carries across sizes
- Count paths, not distance. A pawn three rows from goal behind a long wall can be further away than one six rows back with an open lane.
- Build walls that do double duty. The best wall lengthens their path and forms one side of a corridor for yours.
- Do not spend the opening walling. Early walls are easy to walk around. Walls matter most when a pawn is committed to a route.
- Watch the jump. Standing directly in front of an opponent can hand them a free extra square.
- In multiplayer, never be the leader too early. Two opponents with unlimited walls will both turn on whoever is ahead.
Learning against the computer? Start on easy on a 7 × 7 board, then move to 9 × 9 on medium. Hard thinks about many more wall positions per turn and punishes wasted walls quickly.
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