Roll two dice and flip down tiles that add up to your roll. Close all nine tiles to shut the box.
Shut the Box is played on a wooden board with nine numbered tiles, 1 to 9, and two dice. You roll the dice and then tiles that add up to your roll. You keep rolling until nothing fits.
Your score is whatever tiles are left open, so lower is better. Shut all nine tiles and you win outright.
The board has nine tiles numbered 1 to 9, all standing open at the start. You also need two dice and a way to keep score. One to four people can play.
Many boards have twelve tiles, and the game plays the same with a small change (see the variants).
Every player rolls both dice, and the lowest total goes first. The tiles are then all opened, ready for the first player.
Roll both dice and add them up. Then shut tiles that add up to exactly that total: either one tile with that number, or several that add up to it.
You roll 3 and 5, a total of 8. You could shut the 8, or 6 and 2, or 5 and 3. You shut 5 and 3.
5 + 3 = 8.
Your move
You roll a 3 and a 5, a total of 8. All nine tiles are open. Which tiles do you shut?
After shutting tiles you roll again, using only tiles that are still open. Every roll must shut something, if it can.
You roll 4 and 6, a total of 10. The 4 and the 6 are open, so you shut them. Tiles 3, 4, 5 and 6 are now shut.
If you roll a total and no open tile, or group of open tiles, adds up to it, your turn is over.
You roll 6 and 5, a total of 11. Only 1 and 4 are open, which add up to 5. Nothing fits, so your turn ends.
One die now.
When tiles 7, 8 and 9 are all shut, you may roll just one die, because no two-dice total could be used any more. Many players pick up one die automatically then.
Here 7, 8 and 9 are shut, and only 1, 2 and 4 are open, so you roll a single die. You roll a 2, and you shut the 2.
If you manage to shut every tile, you have . It scores zero and wins the game at once. Make a fuss: it does not happen often.
When your turn ends, add up the numbers on the tiles still open. That is your score for the turn.
Here tiles 1 and 4 are open: your score is 5. Lower is better.
Each player takes a turn with all nine tiles open. When everyone has had a turn, the lowest score wins. For a longer game, play several rounds and add the scores, or play until someone reaches 45, the sum of all nine tiles.
Point at a dot to see why it matters
Roll two dice and shut tiles that add up to the total. Can you close all nine?
Shut all nine tiles to win at once, or have the lowest score when every player has had a turn. Your score is the total of the tiles still open.
Yes. Any group of open tiles that adds up to your roll works: for a total of 10 you can shut 1+2+3+4, or 1+9, or 4+6, and so on.
When tiles 7, 8 and 9 are all shut. Some groups let you choose to roll one die as soon as the tiles that add up to more than 6 are shut.
Your turn is over. Add up the numbers on the open tiles: that is your score.
One to four. It is also a good solo game: try to beat your own best score.
Roll six dice, bank your points, and don’t Farkle.
2 to 8 players · 30 min · 8+Five dice, three rolls, thirteen boxes to fill.
1 to 6 players · 40 min · 8+Three dice, six rounds, and a shout when you roll a Bunco.
4 to 24 players · 1 hr · 8+
