Cellblock is one of my favorite games. It may seem complicated at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's almost impossible to lose. Don't believe me? Just follow this simple strategy guide and you'll have a gold trophy in your user lookup in no time!

The first thing to know is that although the object of the game is to get five pieces in a row, you must block when your opponent has three in row with no pieces on either side. I call this an "open three" and it's a very important part of this guide. Here is an example:

The next thing to know is that if you can keep control of board, you are bound to win sooner or later. This means forcing your opponent to block at every opportunity. You can do this by either having an open three or by having four pieces in a row.

Now for the final part of the strategy. To keep control of the board, you must always place your piece next to another one of your pieces except on the first turn. Also, after the first two turns you must always either make an open three or make four in a row, thus forcing your opponent to block. Now let's look at an example of an actual game. The computer will usually respond to certain moves the same way every time, but if it does something unusual this strategy should keep you covered.

Here is how most of my games are played out. This one is between Haskol and me in the second tournament. The numbers indicate on which move the piece was played. Notice how I force Haskol to block on every move, then on move 8 I have two open threes, making it impossible for me to lose.