How to play Shut the Box
Roll the dice, close open tiles that add up to your roll, and aim for the lowest remaining total. Closing every tile scores zero.
Set up the board
Open all tiles, numbered 1–9, 1–10 or 1–12. Use two ordinary six-sided dice. For a friendly competition, give each player a fresh board and one complete round.
Take a turn
- Roll two dice while any open tile is higher than 6.
- Choose one or more open tiles that sum exactly to the roll. With a total of 8, you could close 8, 1+7, 2+6, 3+5 or 1+2+5, if those tiles are still open.
- Close the selected tiles. A closed tile stays closed for the rest of your round.
- Roll again. In this website’s rules, use just one die once every open tile is 6 or lower.
- If no legal combination can make your roll, stop and add up the open tiles.
Scoring and winning
Lower is better. If 2, 5 and 7 remain open, your score is 14. If every tile is closed, your score is zero: you shut the box. In multiplayer, compare scores after everyone has played; equal lowest scores are a tie.
Playing in a friend room
Create a room with a nickname and share its link. Two to four players can join without accounts. Everyone selects Ready, then the host starts. Each player completes a whole round while the others watch the shared board. Once all scores are recorded, get ready again for a new round. Each round is scored separately.
Rooms last 24 hours. Reloading on the same browser can restore your seat. Leaving during your turn scores the open tiles; leaving before your turn forfeits your participation. After two minutes without a move, the host can end the active turn and score its remaining tiles.
House rules differ
Some sets allow a choice of one or two dice, switch dice when the remaining sum is low, or score the remaining digits as one number. Agree on a rule before a physical game. This site always sums remaining tiles and switches to one die when all open tiles are 6 or lower.