Forced Yatzy Rules – Top to Bottom, Bonus at 42

Forced Yatzy rules

Same dice, same boxes, one restriction: you fill the sheet from the top down. Ones first, Yatzy last. Popular in Sweden as tvungen yatzy, and a much sharper game.

Updated 9 September 2026

Forced Yatzy	How it scores	Max
Ones	Sum of all dice showing 1.	5
Twos	Sum of all dice showing 2.	10
Threes	Sum of all dice showing 3.	15
Fours	Sum of all dice showing 4.	20
Fives	Sum of all dice showing 5.	25
Sixes	Sum of all dice showing 6.	30
Bonus	50 points when the upper section reaches 42.	50
One pair	Two dice of the same face. Scores the pair; with two pairs, the higher one.	12
Two pairs	Two different pairs. Scores the sum of all four dice.	22
Three of a kind	3 dice of the same face. Scores the sum of those 3 dice.	18
Four of a kind	4 dice of the same face. Scores the sum of those 4 dice.	24
Small straight	The dice 1-2-3-4-5. Scores 15 points.	15
Large straight	The dice 2-3-4-5-6. Scores 20 points.	20
Full house	3 of one face and 2 of another. Scores the sum of those dice.	28
Chance	Any dice. Scores the sum of all of them.	30
Yatzy	All 5 dice showing the same face. Scores 50 points.	50
Maximum	Every box at its best, plus the bonus.	374

What changes

Each turn you must score in the first open box on the sheet. There is no picking the box that suits your dice; you chase the box that is next. Rolling a Yatzy on turn one is worth five points at best, and nothing at all unless it is five ones.

Because you cannot plan the upper section, the bonus threshold is lowered from 63 to 42. Two of each number is enough.

Strategy

Every turn is a pure hunt for one pattern, so keep the dice that move you toward it and nothing else. For the upper boxes that means keeping only the target face. For straights, keep the longest run. The game is shorter, the totals are lower, and luck matters more; a total over 200 is excellent.

Questions

What is forced Yatzy?

A variant where boxes must be filled in order from the top. The bonus threshold drops to 42.

Can I skip a box in forced Yatzy?

In the strict version, no. A common softer version lets you write a zero in any box the dice cannot fill; the rule builder offers both.