Azul Scoring Explained: Adjacency, Floor Penalties & Bonuses
Azul scores when a completed pattern line moves one tile onto the wall. Count connected horizontal and vertical groups through that new tile, subtract the occupied floor penalties after all wall placements, then add completion bonuses when the game ends.
Researched rules guide. Checked September 12, 2026. Original Azul’s colored wall; publisher English rules hosted June 2024. No hands-on testing is claimed. Editorial standards.
On this page: One complete pattern line gives one wall tile · Count groups in each connected direction · Gaps stop a group; diagonals do not connect · Use cumulative floor penalties · Final bonuses are separate from placement points · Worked round and final total · Ties compare completed horizontal rows
One complete pattern line gives one wall tile
A full pattern line moves only its rightmost tile onto the wall. The remaining tiles from that line are discarded. Completing a capacity-five line does not place five new wall tiles or automatically give five points.
Resolve completed lines from top to bottom, scoring each new wall tile immediately. Earlier placements in that phase can connect to later ones. Incomplete lines remain unfinished and score nothing at that moment.
The color and row determine the target on the standard wall. Check eligibility during drafting: you cannot fill a line with a color already present in its matching wall row.
Count groups in each connected direction
An isolated new tile scores one. If it touches tiles horizontally, count the full uninterrupted horizontal group containing it. If it touches vertically, count that vertical group too. Add both group lengths when both directions connect.
| New placement | Points |
|---|---|
| No horizontal or vertical neighbor | 1 |
| Horizontal group of three; no vertical neighbor | 3 |
| Vertical group of two; no horizontal neighbor | 2 |
| Horizontal group of three and vertical group of two | 3 + 2 = 5 |
In the last example, the new tile belongs to both groups and is counted in both. Do not add a separate automatic extra one on top. A new tile beside one horizontal neighbor scores two, not three.
Gaps stop a group; diagonals do not connect
Count outward from the new tile until an empty wall space interrupts the line. A farther tile beyond that gap is not part of the scored group. A diagonal touch gives no horizontal or vertical connection.
Example: The new tile has one immediate neighbor to its left, then an empty space, then another tile. With no vertical neighbor, the placement scores two: the new tile and its immediate neighbor. The distant tile is excluded.
Top-to-bottom order matters. A tile placed in an upper row may become a vertical neighbor for one placed later below it. Do not calculate every line as though none of the other completed lines had been resolved.
Use cumulative floor penalties
The printed seven floor slots are −1, −1, −2, −2, −2, −3 and −3. Their cumulative totals are:
| Occupied floor slots | Total subtraction |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 4 |
| 4 | 6 |
| 5 | 8 |
| 6 | 11 |
| 7 | 14 |
The starting-player marker occupies a floor slot and counts in the subtraction. If the marker plus two tiles occupy three slots, subtract four, not two. Extra tiles beyond the seventh slot go to the lid without adding more floor positions.
Apply the subtraction after ordinary wall scores and do not go below zero. Clear floor tiles afterward. Taking overflow can still be rational, but its actual cost comes from these occupied slots, not a fixed “minus one per tile” formula.
Final bonuses are separate from placement points
The finish triggers when at least one player completes a horizontal wall row. Complete that wall-tiling phase, including floor penalties, before awarding end bonuses.
Each full horizontal row adds two, each full vertical column adds seven, and each complete five-tile color adds ten. A wall tile can contribute to a row, column and color bonus at once. Its earlier placement points are not removed.
Incomplete pattern lines earn no end points and do not count as part of a wall color. A full vertical column or completed color does not by itself trigger the end.
Worked round and final total
Suppose wall scoring leaves you at 37 before this round’s floor deduction. Three occupied floor slots subtract four, so the running score becomes 33.
The game ends this phase. Your wall has two complete horizontal rows, one full column and all five positions of one color filled. The end bonuses add 2 × 2 + 7 + 10 = 21. Your final total is 33 + 21 = 54.
Do not subtract the same floor again after bonuses. Do not add printed tiles still in unfinished pattern lines as another color bonus. These numbers describe an illustrative final state, not an average score.
Ties compare completed horizontal rows
If final scores tie, the player with more completed horizontal rows wins. If that comparison also ties, victory is shared.
Compare the count of complete rows after all players finish the final wall-tiling phase, not who first caused the trigger. The first person to finish a row is not automatically the winner.
The gray-side variant preserves ordinary scoring but changes placement legality: colors cannot repeat in a row or column. If a full pattern line has no legal target, its tiles go to the floor under the variant rule. Do not apply free placement to the colored wall.
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Sources and scope
Checked September 12, 2026. Examples are original illustrations; use the rulebook for card-specific wording and edition differences.
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