Azul Duel has three separate scoring moments: each regular tile placed on your Dome scores immediately, broken tiles and the Starting player tile subtract at the end of dome-tiling, and the chosen Scoring tablets pay only after round five. This guide keeps those moments apart so that a prospective placement can be evaluated correctly. For turn order and legal placement, start with the rules walkthrough.
Score a regular tile when it enters the Dome
A complete pattern line moves its rightmost tile to an empty space of the same color in that line’s Dome row; a multicolored Joker space accepts any regular color. If the new tile touches no other placed tile horizontally or vertically, score one point. If it touches a horizontal chain, count that whole linked chain including the new tile. Do the same for a vertical chain. When both directions connect, add both chain scores; the newly placed tile counts once in each. Diagonal neighbors do not score by this rule.
Worked example: your new tile extends a horizontal pair to a chain of three and also touches one tile directly above, making a vertical chain of two. Score 3 + 2 = 5 points for that placement. If the above tile were diagonally adjacent instead, only the horizontal chain would count. Previously placed Special tiles count as members of later horizontal or vertical chains.
Special plates and Joker plates behave differently
A Joker plate has a multicolored space, which accepts a regular tile of any color through the normal row placement and scoring procedure. A Special plate has an uncolored space that regular tiles cannot fill. Once its other three spaces have been tiled, immediately place one of the separate Special tiles into its uncolored space and take the points printed at the right of that row. That Special tile itself does not score an adjacency chain when placed. It can help link a later tile, however, and the end-game tablets may count it where their text permits.
A completed pattern line with no currently matching free space can wait if fewer than three plates are assigned to that row. If all three plates are assigned and no matching space exists, the line’s tiles move to Broken tiles during dome-tiling. This is a scoring risk of placing plates without considering color access.
Subtract broken tiles and the first-player penalty
After tiling, lose the printed points for each tile in your Broken tiles space and send those tiles to the Tower. A tile batch can overflow a single chosen pattern line; you may also send unneeded tiles there voluntarily. The space holds at most four tiles, with later excess going straight to the Tower as the rules specify. These penalties apply in the same round as the broken tiles. The player holding the Starting player tile loses two points separately. Scores cannot go below zero.
Example: a five-point Dome placement and a six-point total broken-tile penalty produce a net loss of one point for that phase, before any separate Starting player penalty. The rulebook illustrates a three-broken-tile penalty of six points; use your board’s printed track to total your actual tiles.
Score only the selected Scoring tablets after round five
For a first game the rulebook specifies three introductory tablets; later you may select three or four tablet sides. The box provides eight possible conditions across those sides. Do not add every item in this table unless that tablet is actually active:
| Tablet condition | Points or penalty | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Full vertical line | 7 for each | A column with all six tile spaces filled. |
| Outer spaces | 1 per tile | Tiles in the outer Dome spaces. |
| Long diagonals | 10 for each | Either of the two complete six-tile diagonals. |
| Corner plates | 3 or 8 as shown | A completely filled plate in a scoring corner. |
| Joker spaces | 2 for each filled space, only if all are filled | Any empty multicolored space makes this tablet score zero. |
| Special spaces | −3 per empty space | Each unfilled Special-tile space on the Dome. |
| Full horizontal line | 3 for each | A row with all six tile spaces filled. |
| Five colors in a row | 4 per qualifying row | At least five different tile colors in one horizontal line; one Special tile may count. |
A single placement can advance more than one active goal. For instance, a tile in the outer edge can also complete a column if those tablets are selected. The tablet for all Joker spaces is conditional: three filled while one stays empty produces zero from that tablet, not six points. Check the actual chosen sides during setup, because otherwise a scoring plan can chase a goal that is absent.
When does Azul Duel end, and who wins a tie?
The game ends after the dome-tiling and scoring phase of round five, then adds the chosen tablets. Highest score wins. If tied, the player with the Starting player tile wins. This differs from original Azul, where a completed horizontal wall row triggers the end and a different tie-break applies. For the broader choice between the two boxes, see our comparison.
Explore Azul Duel: Overview · How to play · Strategy · Scoring · Duel vs original Azul.
Sources and scope: Next Move Games’ English Azul Duel rulebook (PDF) and publisher product page, checked 4 October 2026. Examples and strategy are editorial deductions from the printed rules, not firsthand playtest claims. This guide concerns the 2025 standalone Duel box; check the rulebook supplied with your copy for any edition differences.