Big game squares, the easy way

Why squares and the big game go together

Big game parties are full of people who came for the food, the commercials, the halftime show or each other. Squares gives every one of them a reason to care about the score in the fourth quarter. It takes ten seconds to explain, nobody needs to know a single player's name, and the winner is often the person who asked which team is which.

It's built for a crowd, too. A 10×10 board has 100 squares, so a big party, a whole office or an extended family can all play on one board. With a winner at the end of every quarter, there's something to cheer about from the opening kickoff to the final whistle.

Plan your big game board

1. 1

   A week or two before: make the board

   Once the matchup is set, link your board to the game so the scores arrive on their own, or type in the two teams. Pick a format: every quarter is the classic for the big game.

2. 2

   When the invites go out: text the link

   Drop it in the party thread, the office channel or the family group chat. Set a square limit so the early birds don't take the whole board.

3. 3

   Before kickoff: lock and draw

   When the board is full, or right before kickoff, lock it and draw the numbers. Everyone sees their digits land at the same moment, which is half the fun.

4. 4

   During the game: watch it play out

   The board shows whose square is winning right now, and the winner lights up gold at the end of each quarter. Halftime gets its own winner, right around the halftime show.

Make it work for a party

• Guests who just walked in: they join from a QR code or a six-character board code on your phone. Nobody has to type a long link.
• Friends who can't make it: they still play, following the same live board from wherever they're watching.
• A screen near the TV: open the board on a laptop or tablet so the whole room can see the numbers.
• A paper copy: if you'd like one on the fridge too, print a free squares template and fill it in from the live board.
• Rules nobody argues about: the board shows the format, prize notes and anything else the host sets, so halftime is for snacks, not debates.

Which format for the big game?

Every quarter is the big game standard. Four winners, at the end of Q1, at halftime, at the end of Q3 and at the final score, keep the whole party in it. For a bigger crowd, add reverse winners: the square with the digits swapped wins too, which doubles the winning squares without changing anything else.

Small group? A 5×5 board has 25 squares and fills up fast, and since each row and column gets two numbers, every score is still covered. Want something happening all night? Try every score: each time the scoreboard changes, a square wins.

One more big-game detail: if the game goes to overtime, the final score includes it. JaxSquares handles that for you. The rules guide has every format in detail.

Office and family boards

An office board is the classic big game squares setup (some people still call it the office pool). On JaxSquares there's no sheet to walk around the building and nobody has to photograph it for the people working from home. Post the link in the team channel and everyone, in the office or not, picks from their own phone. Keep it friendly: plenty of offices play just for fun or for a prize like first pick of the leftover snacks, and JaxSquares never handles money between players.

For a family board, 100 squares leave room for every cousin, and the kids can play too: picking squares is just tapping a grid.