Roll. Pivot. Shut

Another Hamleys store brand game, now available in India. Beautifully finished. Sensibly priced. A wooden edition of what was apparently ‘an old seafarers’ favourite, with its origins in Normandy! ‘Shut the Box’ is elegantly engineered. Nine numbered tiles in open position, independently pivot shut. The objective of the game is to shut as many numbered tiles as you can, in your round.

Roll the two die onto the soothing snooker table top-like baize covered tray. Shut numbered tiles that correspond to the numbers on the die, or the sum of the die. Your round continues with roll after roll, till you cannot shut any more tiles. Open tiles at the end of your round are scored against you, their sum being credited to your opponent.
Here’s a game where unusually, the lowest score wins! Immediate victory goes to the player who manages to ‘shut the box’ (close all nine tiles) in a round of play.
Clearly, there is luck involved. But I’m sure there is some strategy called for at some stage. If you throw a ‘3’ and a ‘2’, should you close the two corresponding tiles, or should you shut the tile numbered ‘5’? What’s a smarter option at every stage, to help ensure a complete rout? Should probability theory impact decisioning? I am intrigued, but clearly ill equipped to play Shut the Box in anything but the most embarrassingly rudimentary manner.
There is a simple elegance about it that’s strikingly reassuring. The marvellous Reversi from United Toys uses a terrible greenish surface mat that is tackily fixed to the base, and sloppily curls off the edges. Critically observed by day light, Shut the Box is not flawless in its production. But I’m being finicky. Pivot open the tiles with a base clink as they land on the side wall of the box. Pivot shut tiles and listen for a higher pitched ‘thuk’ as they hit the inner compartment wall. The baize is impossibly inviting. You will run your fingers over it, sinking them into the ever so subtle give it provides. The die roll silently, the only sound being their clinking against each other. This is sensory surround, and each of these rituals are near guaranteed by Shut the Box players. There aren’t many games that can engage so charmingly, even before you play!
— The author may be contacted at arup_kavan@yahoo.com [1]