# How to Play Shut the Box: Rules for the Classic Tile and Dice Game Learn Shut the Box in five minutes: roll two dice, flip tiles that add up to your total, and try to close all nine. Rules, scoring and a free score sheet. Source: https://pips.club/shut-the-box - Players: 1 to 4 - Dice: 2 dice and a Shut the Box board - Type: Adding up - Level: Easy - Time: 10 to 20 minutes ## At a glance ### Add up your dice, close the tiles 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 shut 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. ## Setup ### A board and two dice 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). ## The first roll ### Who goes first Every player rolls both dice, and the lowest total goes first. The tiles are then all opened, ready for the first player. ## A turn ### Roll and shut 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. ### Keep rolling 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. ### When nothing fits, your turn ends 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. ## Special rolls ### One die when the high tiles are shut 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. ### Shut the box If you manage to shut every tile, you have shut the box. It scores zero and wins the game at once. Make a fuss: it does not happen often. ## Scoring ### Add up the open tiles 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. ## Winning ### Lowest score wins 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. ## Variants and house rules - **Twelve tiles**: The board has tiles 1 to 12. You roll one die when tiles 7 to 12 are all shut, and the total of all tiles is 78. - **Match play**: Play to a set number of rounds or to a total score, such as 100, instead of a single turn each. - **Solo**: Play alone and write down your score each time. A score under 10 is good; zero is rare. ## Tips - Shut the high tiles first. Large numbers are hard to place later, and they cost the most if you are left holding them. - Do not use a big tile just because you can. Shutting 5 and 3 for an 8 keeps the 8 available for another roll. - Shutting 7, 8 and 9 early is worth it: then you roll one die and your odds of finishing improve. ## Quick answers **How do you win Shut the Box?** 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. **Can you use more than two tiles to make your total?** 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 do you roll one die in Shut the Box?** 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. **What if you cannot shut any tiles?** Your turn is over. Add up the numbers on the open tiles: that is your score. **How many players can play Shut the Box?** One to four. It is also a good solo game: try to beat your own best score.