Shut the Box

Shut the Box is a traditional dice game played with special equipment used for tracking results and then for determining scores.  It is known by several other names, including Canoga, Batten Down the Hatches and Tric Trac (although, this latter name is also often used for a French variant of Backgammon).

Shut the Box is at least 200 years old and probably originated in Normandy and/or the Channel Islands.  I've read some unsubstantiated claims that the game may date back to the 12th century, but this seems unlikely.  The game was spread throughout the world by sailors and fisherman, with variants to be found in Europe, Africa and Asia.  It was brought to England from the Channel Islands in the 1950s, and soon became a popular pub game, often played to decide who would pay for the next round of drinks.

To play the game, you need a pair of dice and a special "box" with numbers printed on it that can be covered with either flippers or slides.  Examples of Shut the Box equipment can be viewed by clicking "The Quality Gameboard Shop" link at the top right of this page.  Various equipment options exist, including 9, 10, 11 and 12-number versions.  Based on my research, the 9-number version is the original game that came out of the Channel Islands.  With a 12-number box, you can play any of these versions simply by covering the higher numbers you do not want to include.

To play the game according to the most widely-accepted basic rules, start with the numbers you are using uncovered.  Roll the dice, and choose the numbers you want to cover.  This can be any set of numbers that, when summed, equal the total rolled.  A single number can be covered or multiple numbers.  You continue to roll and cover numbers until you are unable to use a full roll.  At that point, you calculate your score based on the numbers you have left uncovered.  There are various ways to do this, including simply counting or summing the numbers left.  Once your score is recorded, you uncover the numbers and your opponents take their turns.  After all have played, the one with the lowest score wins.  A predetermined number of turns can be played with the combined total determining the winner.

Variations on this basic theme exist, which I will explore in more detail in a later post.  Some of these include the use of a double Shut the Box set for simultaneous head-to-head play.  Other variants include awarding bonuses for rolling doubles, or allow the use of individual die counts in special cases.  These more complex versions increase the importance of skill and judgment and decrease the importance of luck, which plays a large role in the basic game.

Cheap versions of Shut the Box can be found, but the game is enhanced by investing a little more to get a finer quality set.  Some available versions of the game play off of its history as a game of sailors and fisherman, with a nautical look and feel.  Others are made with finer woods and nicely felted areas for rolling the dice.  You can find examples of these in The Quality Gameboard Shop.  An interesting variant of the game, called "Two Bridges", can also be found in the shop.  This beautifully-made game adds some additional equipment and a fascinating new approach to play.