How to Play Qwirkle, the Tile Game

Mix, Match, Score and Win 2 to 4 players ages 6 and up

Qwirkle is a tile lying game with bright colours and fun patterns. I was immediately drawn to this game as we love games like Dominos, Carcassonne and Rummikub. I wasn’t wrong as we dove into Qwirkle, we found that it lived up to our expectations.

In this post we’ll cover how to play Qwirkle, the rules and how to score it. Let’s get to it.

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Setting up Qwirkle

First, you will need a pen and paper to keep score. Next, you place all the tiles in the black bag that comes with the game. Then each player pulls out six tiles and arranges them so that no one else can see them. These tiles are your hand. You will also need some empty table space.

How to Play Qwirkle

To start, the player with the most tiles that share either the same colour or the same shape goes first. She will then place them on the table in a line and draw enough tiles form the bag to bring her hand back up to six.

On your turn you can do one of three things.

First, you can add one tile to the grid on the table by matching either the colour or the shape of the ones already on the table. You then draw a tile form the bag and add it to your hand.

Second, if you have more than one tile that match in either color or shape and can be added to the ones on the table, you made do so. These tiles must be added to the same line on the grid on the table but do not have to touch (meaning that you may place one at either end of the line.) You would then draw the same amount of tiles from the bag that you played and add them to your hand.

Third, you may trade some or all of your tiles for new ones.

Some Rules

Any tile that you play must touch at least one tile already on the table. A line of tiles must all match either in shape or in colour. However, a line must not have more than one shape or colour in it. For example, a line of stars can only have one yellow star. Similarly, a red line can only have one circle in it.

A line can only be six tiles long.

When you choose to trade in some, or all, of your tiles, first set the tiles you want replaced off to the side. Next, draw that many tiles from the bag and add them to your hand. Last, add your discarded tiles back to the bag and give them a good mixing. When you trade tiles in this is your whole turn and may not place any tiles on the grid.

Players take turns either adding tile to the grid or trading in tiles. When there are no more tiles in the bag, play continues until one player is the first to play all of his tiles.

Scoring Qwirkle

Scoring Qwirkle happens as you play. When you either create a line or add to a line, you score one point for each tile in that line. This includes any tiles that are already in the line. So if you add two tiles to a line that already had three tiles in it, you would score 5 points. One tile can score in two different lines at the same time.

When you complete a line of six tiles of either the same shape or the same colour (remember that a colour or shape can’t be repeated in a line) then you have a Qwirkle! When this happens, you score an extra 6 points along with the 6 points for each tile. If the tile(s) you place also score in othe lines your score that turn may be more than the 12 for the Qwirkle.

The player who plays their last tile first scores a bonus 6 points on top of the points earned for the tile placement.

Winning Qwirkle

After one player has played her last tile, the game ends. Next, the scores are tallied up and the player with the most points wins the game.

What We Like

First, the quality of this game is top notch. Next, we like that it is easy to learn and to play but has a subtle strategy that is fun to master. We also like that players of any age can play.

What We Don’t Like

The main thing that we don’t like is the scoring. It’s a lot of math. However, we have played without keeping score and it wasn’t as much fun as when we did keep score. The other thing that I was thinking as we played is that my Dad, who is coloured blind, wouldn’t be able to play. But while I was researching, I found that they thought of this and have a variation that is for colour-blind people that features extra symbols on the tiles. I also found that they have copies that have tile trays, a nice touch although we didn’t have a problem with the titles standing on their own.

Should You Make Room for Qwirkle on your Family Game Shelf?

We recommend making room for Qwirkle. With its bright colourfulness and easy to learn play we think that any Family Game Shelf would benefit from Qwirkle.

To get your own copy of Qwirkle, shop here, look for the copy with the trays or the travel edition. Canadians can shop Qwirkle here.

If you’re looking for more family favorites, check out our recommendations page where you can find favorites like Carcassonne, Splendor, Like Minds and Pictopia. Also check out our Family Game Shelf shop here for tons of fun with seasonal and original games, including our Whacky Putt mini-golf dice game and Word Hunter game.

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