About Shut the Box Online

Who runs Shut the Box Online

This site is built and run by John Weeks, a web developer who designs, codes and maintains every site in the network himself.

I am a web developer. I build for the web full time, mostly TypeScript and PHP on the server, React and Tailwind CSS on the front end, and I build and run my own sites rather than only shipping other people's.

This network came out of a simple frustration: the free version of whatever you were looking for was slow, buried under adverts, gated behind an account, or built once and abandoned. I wanted the version I would actually want to use, instant and readable on a phone with no sign-up, and then to write the explanation properly so anyone can get the answer in one page.

Every site here is a single game on its own domain. I write the code, the rules, the strategy and the reference tables myself, and I keep them current. There is no content farm behind this and no AI-generated filler: if a page states an odds figure or a scoring rule, it came from a solver I wrote or a primary source I can point you at.

Shut the Box was the first site in this network, and it went first because the game is small enough to solve completely. That made it a fair test of the whole idea. If a site can tell you the genuinely best move in a position instead of a rule of thumb about it, it is worth more than the dozens of versions that only roll the dice for you.

What this site is trying to be

The goal is simple: the best free version of Shut the Box on the web, and the clearest explanation of how it works.

• Both boards, 9 tiles and 12 tiles, and two players sharing one device.
• A hint that solves the position rather than applying a heuristic to it.
• Dice from the browser cryptographic random generator with rejection sampling, so no face is even slightly favoured.
• The odds published with the working shown, under a licence that lets a teacher reuse them.
• Rules and strategy written for someone who has never seen the game, not padded out for length.

How the site is paid for, and what it knows about you

Adverts pay the hosting and the time. Being straight about that, and about the data side, matters more than pretending the site runs on goodwill.

The site is free and always will be. Display advertising is what will pay for it, and the slots go around the play area rather than over it. An advert will never cover the game or interrupt you mid-turn.

Your game statistics (streaks, best scores, preferences) are stored in your own browser using localStorage. They are not sent to me, there is no account, and clearing your browser data clears them permanently.

Analytics tell me which pages are useful. Advertising has not started yet, and when it does the advertising partners will set their own cookies. The privacy page lists what is collected either way, and how to opt out of it.

What makes this version different

Shut the Box is a solved game, so a version of it can be exactly right rather than approximately right, and this one is built that way.

• Both standard boards, 9 tiles and 12 tiles, plus two-player on one device.
• A hint engine that shows the genuinely optimal move, computed by backward induction rather than a rule of thumb.
• A solved-game analysis with numbers you can reproduce, published under a Creative Commons licence so teachers and writers can reuse it with attribution.

The dice use your browser’s cryptographic random number generator with rejection sampling, so every face is exactly equally likely. Nothing is weighted, and there is no house edge because there is no house.

Your scores, streaks and settings are stored only in your own browser using localStorage. There is no account system and none of it is sent anywhere.

Corrections and contact

The fastest way to reach me is email: john.weeks.dev@gmail.com. I read everything sent there.

Who created Shut the Box Online?

John Weeks, a web developer, built and maintains it. The code, the game logic and the written rules and strategy are all his own work.

Is Shut the Box Online free?

Yes, completely. There is no account, no download, no trial and no paid tier. Display advertising covers the costs.

Do I need to create an account or install anything?

No. The game runs in your browser. Your scores and preferences are saved on your own device, so nothing needs to be signed into.

Can I use the rules, tables or score sheets on my own site?

Yes, with attribution and a link back. The reference data is published for reuse. That is the point of writing it out properly.

I found a mistake in the rules. What should I do?

Email john.weeks.dev@gmail.com and say what is wrong. Rule variations differ by region and household, so specifics help, and genuine corrections get made.