Sequence rules

How to Play Sequence

Sequence is a race to five-in-a-row. You play cards onto the official 10×10 board, place colored chips, and try to finish lines before your rivals. Free corners count for every team. Two-eyed Jacks are wild; one-eyed Jacks remove unprotected chips. Two sequences win a heads-up or team match; one sequence wins a three-player game. Sequence Rivals is the digital table — same board, a 30-second clock, and a short interactive lesson below.

Start interactive tutorial Jump to rules Get the app

Interactive lesson

What you will practice

1See a five-chip sequence on the official board
2Use the four FREE corners
3Select a hand card and place a chip
4Draw a replacement card
5Place with a two-eyed (WILD) Jack
6Remove a chip with a one-eyed Jack
7Exchange a dead card
8Complete a Sequence
9Learn win conditions, teams, and the 30-second timer

Sequence Rivals How to Play screen showing the official board

The guided board loads in your browser. Jump to the full Sequence rules if you prefer to read first.

Interactive lesson

What you will practice

1See a five-chip sequence on the official board
2Use the four FREE corners
3Select a hand card and place a chip
4Draw a replacement card
5Place with a two-eyed (WILD) Jack
6Remove a chip with a one-eyed Jack
7Exchange a dead card
8Complete a Sequence
9Learn win conditions, teams, and the 30-second timer

The guided board loads in your browser. Jump to the full Sequence rules if you prefer to read first.

Loading interactive lesson…

Goal

Make sequences of 5 chips in a row — horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. Two players or four-player teams need 2 sequences to win. Three players (each solo) need 1 sequence.

Free corners

The four FREE corners of the 10×10 board count for every team. They are not printed with a card, and nobody places a chip on them — they simply complete a line when your chips occupy the other spaces in that row, column, or diagonal.

Playing cards

Play a card from your hand onto a matching empty board space, then place your chip. Sequence uses two standard decks. Jacks are never printed on the board. Every other rank and suit appears exactly twice. Hands are 7 cards in a 2-player match and 6 cards with 3 or 4 players.

Two-eyed Jacks

WILD

Jacks of diamonds and clubs are two-eyed. They are wild: place a chip on any empty space that is not a FREE corner. You still draw a replacement card after you play one.

One-eyed Jacks

REMOVE

Jacks of hearts and spades are one-eyed. They remove an opponent chip that is not locked inside a completed sequence. You cannot remove your own chips or a teammate’s chips.

Dead cards

If both board copies of a rank and suit are already covered, that card in your hand is dead. Exchange it for a new card, then still take a normal turn — placing, removing, or exchanging again if needed.

Draw

If nobody has a legal play and discarded cards cannot be reshuffled into a draw pile, the match ends in a draw. Keep pressure on open copies of cards and manage dead cards to avoid a stalemate.

Turn timer

Each turn has a 30-second clock. If time runs out, Sequence Rivals auto-plays a legal card for you, or exchanges a dead card. If nothing is playable, the turn is skipped so the table keeps moving.

Teams

Four-player matches are always 2v2. Partners sit opposite, share a chip color, and share sequences. Turns go clockwise so teams always alternate: you, opponent, partner, opponent.

Practice tools

In bot practice, Hint suggests a strong legal move while you learn spacing and blocks. Undo (from the pause menu) reverts your last play before the bot responds. Daily bot matches are free; extra practice can use coins or a rewarded ad.

Board layout

Sequence Rivals uses the official Sequence 10×10 layout. Four FREE corners sit at the outer corners. The remaining 96 spaces are printed cards — each non-Jack rank and suit twice, never shuffled or rotated from the classic table.

Official Sequence board layout used in Sequence Rivals

Printed cards on the official 10×10 Sequence board
Row	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4	Column 5	Column 6	Column 7	Column 8	Column 9	Column 10
1	FREE — Sequence board free corner at top-left	10♠ — Ten of Spades	Q♠ — Queen of Spades	K♠ — King of Spades	A♠ — Ace of Spades	2♦ — Two of Diamonds	3♦ — Three of Diamonds	4♦ — Four of Diamonds	5♦ — Five of Diamonds	FREE — Sequence board free corner at top-right
2	9♠ — Nine of Spades	10♥ — Ten of Hearts	9♥ — Nine of Hearts	8♥ — Eight of Hearts	7♥ — Seven of Hearts	6♥ — Six of Hearts	5♥ — Five of Hearts	4♥ — Four of Hearts	3♥ — Three of Hearts	6♦ — Six of Diamonds
3	8♠ — Eight of Spades	Q♥ — Queen of Hearts	7♦ — Seven of Diamonds	8♦ — Eight of Diamonds	9♦ — Nine of Diamonds	10♦ — Ten of Diamonds	Q♦ — Queen of Diamonds	K♦ — King of Diamonds	2♥ — Two of Hearts	7♦ — Seven of Diamonds
4	7♠ — Seven of Spades	K♥ — King of Hearts	6♦ — Six of Diamonds	2♠ — Two of Spades	A♥ — Ace of Hearts	K♥ — King of Hearts	Q♥ — Queen of Hearts	A♦ — Ace of Diamonds	2♣ — Two of Clubs	8♦ — Eight of Diamonds
5	6♠ — Six of Spades	A♥ — Ace of Hearts	5♦ — Five of Diamonds	3♠ — Three of Spades	4♥ — Four of Hearts	3♥ — Three of Hearts	10♥ — Ten of Hearts	A♣ — Ace of Clubs	3♣ — Three of Clubs	9♦ — Nine of Diamonds
6	5♠ — Five of Spades	2♣ — Two of Clubs	4♦ — Four of Diamonds	4♠ — Four of Spades	5♥ — Five of Hearts	2♥ — Two of Hearts	9♥ — Nine of Hearts	K♣ — King of Clubs	4♣ — Four of Clubs	10♦ — Ten of Diamonds
7	4♠ — Four of Spades	3♣ — Three of Clubs	3♦ — Three of Diamonds	5♠ — Five of Spades	6♥ — Six of Hearts	7♥ — Seven of Hearts	8♥ — Eight of Hearts	Q♣ — Queen of Clubs	5♣ — Five of Clubs	Q♦ — Queen of Diamonds
8	3♠ — Three of Spades	4♣ — Four of Clubs	2♦ — Two of Diamonds	6♣ — Six of Clubs	7♣ — Seven of Clubs	8♣ — Eight of Clubs	9♣ — Nine of Clubs	10♣ — Ten of Clubs	6♠ — Six of Spades	K♦ — King of Diamonds
9	2♠ — Two of Spades	5♣ — Five of Clubs	A♠ — Ace of Spades	K♠ — King of Spades	Q♠ — Queen of Spades	10♠ — Ten of Spades	9♠ — Nine of Spades	8♠ — Eight of Spades	7♠ — Seven of Spades	A♦ — Ace of Diamonds
10	FREE — Sequence board free corner at bottom-left	6♣ — Six of Clubs	7♣ — Seven of Clubs	8♣ — Eight of Clubs	9♣ — Nine of Clubs	10♣ — Ten of Clubs	Q♣ — Queen of Clubs	K♣ — King of Clubs	A♣ — Ace of Clubs	FREE — Sequence board free corner at bottom-right

Jack Duo is an optional in-match purchase in Sequence Rivals: once per match you can add a special one-eyed Jack and a special two-eyed Jack to your hand, outside the normal deck. It is not part of the practice lesson.

Sequence® is a trademark of Jax Ltd. Sequence Rivals is an independent digital game that uses classic Sequence-style rules. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or the official app of Jax Ltd.

Sequence rules FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Sequence?

Play a card that matches an open space on the 10×10 board, place your chip, then draw. Make a line of five chips — including FREE corners, which count for every team. Two players or teams win with two sequences; three solo players win with one.

How many sequences do you need to win Sequence?

Two sequences win a 2-player game or a 4-player team game. One sequence wins a 3-player game, where each player is solo.

What are free corners in Sequence?

The four corner spaces are FREE. They are not cards and never hold a chip. Every team can use them to finish a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line of five.

What do Jacks do in Sequence?

Two-eyed Jacks (diamonds and clubs) are wild and place a chip on any empty non-corner space. One-eyed Jacks (hearts and spades) remove an opponent chip that is not part of a completed sequence.

What is a two-eyed Jack in Sequence?

The Jack of diamonds and the Jack of clubs show two eyes. In Sequence Rivals they are WILD: place on any open board space except a FREE corner.

What is a one-eyed Jack in Sequence?

The Jack of hearts and the Jack of spades show one eye. They REMOVE an unprotected opponent chip. You cannot remove your own team’s chips or a chip already locked in a sequence.

What is a dead card in Sequence?

When both printed copies of a card on the board are covered, any matching card in your hand is dead. Exchange it, then still take your normal turn.

How does Sequence work with 4 players and teams?

Four players always play 2v2. Sit opposite your partner, share a chip color, and take turns clockwise so the two teams alternate.

How long is a turn in Sequence Rivals?

Each turn is 30 seconds. If the clock expires, the game auto-plays a legal card or exchanges a dead card so the match does not stall.

Is Sequence Rivals the official Sequence app?

No. Sequence Rivals is an independent digital game that uses classic Sequence-style rules on the official 10×10 board layout. Sequence is a trademark of Jax Ltd. Sequence Rivals is not affiliated with or endorsed by Jax Ltd.

Ready for a match?

Place the chip. Claim the sequence.

Download Sequence Rivals and play the classic board game with polished visuals, smart bots, and live matchmaking.

Download now Replay the lesson