Printable Shut the Box rules

Shut the Box in one page

1+ players · Shut the Box tray (tiles 1–9) · 2 dice · pencil

Roll two dice, then shut any open tiles that add up to the total, such as 9 alone or 6 and 3 for a roll of 9. Keep rolling until you can't shut anything, and your score is the sum of the tiles still open. Lowest score wins, and shutting every tile wins outright.

In brief

• Start with tiles 1–9 open
• Roll 2 dice, add them
• Shut any open tiles that add up to the roll
• 7, 8, and 9 all shut: you may roll 1 die
• Keep rolling until a total can't be made
• Score = sum of open tiles (worst 45)
• All tiles shut = shut the box, win at once
• Lowest score wins the round
• Digital variant: read open tiles as a number (1, 2, 5 = 125)

Setup

1. Open all the tiles so the numbers 1 through 9 are showing. Without a box, write 1 to 9 on paper and cross numbers off.
2. Decide the order of play. Each player takes one full turn at the box, then resets it for the next player.
3. Agree on the scoring method before starting: the standard sum of open tiles, or the digital method described in house rules.

On your turn

1. Roll both dice and add them.
2. Shut any combination of open tiles that adds up to that total. A roll of 8 could shut the 8, or 7 and 1, or 5, 2, and 1, as long as every tile you choose is still open.
3. Roll again and repeat. Once the 7, 8, and 9 are all shut, you may choose to roll one die instead of two. If any of those three is still open, you must roll both.
4. Your turn ends when you roll a total that no combination of open tiles can match. Add up the tiles still open; that's your score.
5. Reset all the tiles and pass the dice and box to the next player.

Scoring

Winning

Each round, the player with the lowest score wins. Shutting the box ends the round immediately and beats everyone. For a multi-round game, add each player's scores across rounds, and the lowest total wins.