Quaxtep is a connection game for two players: Black and White. It's played on a checkered square board which is initially empty. The north and south edges of the board are colored black; the west and east edges are colored white. When using odd-sized boards, the four squares in the corners must be light-colored.

Black starts the game by taking one step. From then on, players alternate taking two steps per turn. A step consists of making one of the following actions:
a) Place a friendly stone on an empty light square.
b) Move a friendly stone from a light square to an empty, adjacent dark square.

You can only pass your turn, or the second pass of a turn, if you have no moves available. There will always be a move available to at least one of the players.

The game is won by the player who completes a chain of his own stones which touches the two opposite board edges of his color. A chain is a set of like-colored, connected stones. Two stones are connected if they occupy orthogonally adjacent squares or diagonally adjacent dark squares.

As in Hex, draws are not possible, and a completely filled board will produce exactly one winner.

NOTE: Two different board graphics are featured. Click the button ''switch piece set'' to alternate between them.

It's based on a general idea which was first stated by Torben Ægidius Mortensen and later used by Christian Freeling in his game Query.