Admin Help

Everything you need to run your game, from setup to the final whistle

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Logging In & Passwords · Filling the Board · Assigning Numbers · Locking & Editing · Scores & Winners · Fixing Problems

Logging In & Passwords

How do I log in as the admin?

Open your game link and find the Admin Login box in the sidebar (on phones, scroll down past the grid). Enter the admin password you set when you created the game. Once logged in, admin controls appear above the grid and you stay logged in on that device until you log out.

I lost my admin password. Can I reset it?

If you entered an email address when you created the game, yes. Check your inbox for the game creation email we sent you. It contains a permanent password reset link that never expires. Click it, choose a new password, and you are back in. You can also use that page to send a fresh reset link to a different email address.

If you did not provide an email, we unfortunately cannot recover your admin access. Passwords are securely hashed, which means even we cannot see them, and with no email on file there is no way to verify you as the owner. In that case the practical fix is to create a new game. It only takes a minute, and you can use the Quick assign tool to rebuild the board quickly.

Do you store my email address?

No. If you provide an email at game creation, we use it for one send (your game link and reset link) and then discard it. It is never stored on our servers. That is why the creation email matters so much: it is the only copy of your reset link in existence, so save it somewhere safe.

What does the player password do?

If you set a player password when creating the game, anyone who opens your game link must enter it before they can see the board or claim squares. It keeps your game private to your group even if the link gets forwarded around. If you left it blank, anyone with the link can view and join. As admin, you never need the player password. Your admin login covers everything.

Filling the Board

How do players claim squares?

Share your game link (the Copy Link, Email, and Text buttons above the grid make this easy). Players open it, tap any empty square, and enter their name. No accounts, no signups. Their name appears on the square instantly, and every claim shows up in the Activity log in the sidebar.

Can I fill in squares myself for people who are not online?

Yes. That is what Quick assign is for. While logged in as admin, use the Quick assign dropdown above the grid: pick an existing player or create a new name, then tap squares to assign them to that person. It is the fastest way to enter squares collected on paper, over text, or at the office.

Can I limit how many squares each player takes?

Yes. Open Settings (the gear icon) and set Max Squares Per Player. Zero means unlimited. When a player reaches the limit, they see a friendly message telling them to ask you if they need more. The limit only applies to players claiming their own squares. As admin, you can always assign more to anyone through Quick assign, so the limit never gets in your way.

Do all 100 squares need to be filled?

No. Plenty of groups run great games with 50 to 75 squares claimed. Empty squares simply cannot win. If a winning score lands on an unclaimed square, that period has no winner, which some groups treat as a "house wins, nobody brags" round. If your group is small, letting each person take more squares fills the board faster.

Assigning Numbers

When should I assign numbers?

After the board is as full as it is going to get, and before kickoff. This order matters for fairness: if numbers are visible while squares are still open, everyone grabs the good digits and the leftover squares never sell. The site will warn you if you try to assign numbers with squares still unclaimed.

Should I randomize the numbers or enter them manually?

When you click 🎲 Assign Numbers, you get both options. Randomize places the digits 0 through 9 across the rows and columns with one click. This is what most groups use, and it is transparent and dispute-free.

Enter Manually is for groups who draw their numbers physically, out of a hat, with cards, or with dice at the party. Enter the digits in the order they were drawn for each side, and the board uses your exact draw. Each side must use every digit 0 through 9 exactly once, and the form highlights duplicates as you go.

Can I redo the numbers after they are assigned?

No. Numbers can only be assigned once per game, whether randomized or entered manually. This is deliberate: the moment numbers exist, some squares are objectively better than others, and reassigning them after the fact is exactly the kind of thing that starts arguments. If you genuinely assigned numbers by mistake before the board was ready, the clean fix is to create a new game and rebuild the board with Quick assign.

Locking & Editing

What does locking the grid do?

Locking freezes the board so players cannot claim or change squares. We recommend locking at least 30 minutes before the game starts. You can unlock and relock anytime, and the lock status is visible to everyone, so nobody wonders why they cannot tap a square.

Can I edit squares after the grid is locked?

Yes. The lock applies to players, not to you. As admin you can tap any square anytime to change or clear the name, which is how you fix typos, handle a last-minute swap, or remove someone. Every change is recorded in the Activity log with a timestamp, so there is a full audit trail if anyone asks what happened.

What can I change in Settings after the game is created?

The gear icon opens Settings, where you can change the game title, team names, team colors, the max squares per player limit, and whether players can claim squares that are already taken. Note that game titles cannot contain money or gambling references. The platform is for bragging rights only, and titles that break that rule can be removed.

Scores & Winners

Do I need to enter scores during the game?

If you linked your game to a scheduled matchup when creating it, no. Scores update automatically in the background and winners are highlighted at the end of each period. Players just refresh the page to see the latest. If you created a manual game with custom teams, you enter scores yourself through the 📝 Scores button at the end of each period.

The live score seems behind the TV. Is something broken?

No, that is normal. Live scores can lag the broadcast by up to 10 minutes depending on the data source. They always catch up, and quarter winners are determined by the official score, so the delay never changes who wins. If a score looks wrong after the game, you can correct it manually through the Scores button, and winners recalculate automatically.

My game shows TBD instead of team names. Why?

You created the game before the matchup was decided, which is a feature, not a problem. Playoff and championship games can be created early so your group has time to fill the board. Once the real teams are determined, the names, colors, and kickoff time update automatically. Your grid and everyone's claimed squares stay exactly as they are.

How does overtime affect the winners?

It depends on the scoring format you chose at creation. In Standard format, the final score including overtime decides the last winner. In With Overtime format, the end-of-regulation score is tracked separately, and if the game goes to OT there is an extra winner for the final score. Our overtime guide walks through a real example of how the two formats produce different winners.

The game is over. Can we run it back next week?

Yes, and this is the fastest part of the whole platform. Once your game finishes, a 🔄 Rematch button appears in your admin controls. One tap creates a fresh game with the same title, the same admin and player passwords, and the same settings. You choose whether to keep every player on the squares they had or start with an empty board, pick the next matchup from the list, and share the new link. Numbers are assigned fresh each game, so carrying players over stays completely fair. Running a weekly group? Our season-long guide has the full rhythm.

Fixing Problems

Someone entered the wrong name or claimed the wrong square.

Log in as admin and tap the square. You can correct the name or clear it entirely, even after the grid is locked. If two people used slightly different names for the same person (like "Mike" and "Mike R."), just edit the squares so the names match, and the player list in the sidebar will combine them.

One person grabbed way too many squares.

Two tools for this. Going forward, set Max Squares Per Player in Settings so it cannot happen again. For squares already claimed, tap them as admin and clear or reassign them. If you want to be diplomatic about it, the Activity log shows exactly when each square was claimed, which settles any "I was here first" discussion.

Can I delete my game?

Yes. Open Settings and scroll to the Danger Zone at the bottom. Deleting a game permanently removes the board, all claimed squares, and the activity history. This cannot be undone, so make sure your group is done with it first.

Something else is wrong. How do I reach you?

Use the contact page and include your game code (the letters and numbers at the end of your game link) so we can look at the right game. Support requests are answered personally, usually within a day.

New to running a squares game?

If this is your first time organizing, start with the How to Play guide for the rules, then check what makes a good grid and our etiquette guide for the organizer wisdom that keeps games running smoothly.

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