Rules
Nine tiles, numbered 1–9, all start open. Each turn:
- Throw the dice - two of them. Once tiles 7, 8 and 9 are all shut, you may choose to throw a single die instead.
- Shut any combination of open tiles that adds up to your throw. A roll of 9 could close
{9}, {4,5}, {6,3}, {1,8}, {2,7}, or {1,2,6} - your pick. - Throw again with the tiles that are left.
If a throw can’t be matched by any combination of the open tiles, you’re done - your score is the sum of the tiles still standing. Shut every tile and you’ve shut the box: a perfect 0.
Low score wins. It’s just you against the dice.
Strategy
Knock down the big tiles early (7, 8, 9) - they’re the ones that wreck your score if you get stuck, and clearing them unlocks the single-die option, which makes the final tiles far easier to land.
When a throw can be made several ways, prefer the split that leaves you the most flexible set of remaining numbers, not just the one that shuts the most tiles.
History
Shut the Box is a centuries-old pub and tavern game - popular in Normandy and across the bars of southern England, where boxed sets still sit on the counter. It’s also called Canoga, Klackers, Batten Down the Hatches, and Trick-Track. The maths is a small but genuine optimisation problem (which subset to shut?), which is why it shows up in probability classrooms alongside Pig and Farkle.
References