How To Play Carrom

                                                       How To Play Carrom?

Carrom is a tabletop game and its origin is unknown but many say it was originated during the Ist World War era. It was first introduced in the Indian Subcontinent. 

    

    Some people say it was originated from "Snooker" a game in billiards, which is a very expensive game which majority of Indians and the Indian subcontinent cannot afford to play. In "Billiards", a particular stroke is called "CANNON", and I guess the word "CARROM" was originated from it. And also to support my belief you may find carrom pockets are fitted on the corners outside the board, similarly those on a billiards table.

Below is a detailed guide on how to play Carrom.

1.   What is Carrom?

2.   How to set up your Carrom Board?

3.   Toss

4.   How to Break in Carrom?

5.   Carrom Coins

6.   How to successfully cover the Queen

7.   Using your Striker in Carrom

8.   What is foul in Carrom?

9.   Scoring in a game of Carrom

  

1. What is Carrom?

    The main objective in Carrom is to use your Index finger/Middle finger to flick the striker and pocket the Carrom-Coins into any of the four pockets of the Carrom. Player or Team who first pocket all their coins with or without Queen is the Winner.

2. How to set up your Carrom Board?

    Your Carrom Board should be 60-70 cm above the floor.

    Now slightly dust the Boric Powder over the Carrom Board to make it smooth & slippery and place the Queen in the center and place white and black Carrom-Men alternatively as shown in the picture

3. Toss

    Generally in a Carrom match, the referee holds one white & one black Carrom Coin each in either hand and closes his palm, now any of the players tells in which hand the white or black Carrom Coin is concealed, if he guesses correctly, he wins the toss. He can choose either Break or Side.

4. How to Break in Carrom

    There is a total of 19 Carrom Coins including 9 White Carrom Coins, 9 Black Carrom Coins, and 01 Queen. The player who Breaks plays with white Carrom Coin and his opponent has black Carrom Coin. The Queen is common.

    While preparing for the Break, the striker should touch both the baseline. If the player pocket the coin after the break, his turn continues and if he misses then the turn pass on to the opponent and the game goes on.

5. Carrom Coins

    Pocketing the Carrom Coins is governed by the following rules or better known as Carrom Laws :

• If a player/team has all(his/there) 9 coins on the board and he pockets the Queen, then his turn cancels and the Queen comes in the center.
• While flicking the Striker, if the striker goes in the pocket then it is foul and the player has to pay a penalty of one coin.
• If while flicking the striker, the coin and the striker goes in the pocket, then the coin which is pocketed comes out with penalty and the opponent puts both coins in the center.
• If a player wants to pocket Queen then he has to pocket another coin only then the Queen supposed to pocket.
• If the Queen is pocket and striker also pocket, Queen comes in the center with a penalty.
• If the Queen is pocket and while covering the Queen with another coin and your striker pocket with the coin, then the coin comes out with another coin as penalty and the player has the chance to cover the queen.

6. How to successfully cover the Queen 

    To pocket and cover the Queen, a player must pocket their own color coin. Then on their subsequent go, pocket the Queen.

    

    After the player has pocketed and successfully covered the Queen, the board will be won by the player who sinks all their own coins.

7. Using your Striker

    Each player must have their own Striker, the striker must sit between baseline in front of the player. If the player fails to leave both lines, the player gets three chances before losing their turn.

    The weight of the Striker should not be more than 15 gms and the diameter should not be more than 4.3 cm according to World Carrom Association.

8. What is foul in Carrom?

    Following actions comes under foul :

• Pocketing the Striker
• If a player pockets an opponents coin
• If coin leaves the board
• If the final coin is pocketed before Queen is covered
• The player incorrectly position himself before striking the coins
• The Player's arm crosses the diagonal foul line on the board
• If a player fails to break correctly after their three attempts

    9. Scoring in a game of Carrom

        A tournament game would be won if out of three "Best of 8 Boards" at least two Sets of board won by any player/team.

    

        Each Carrom Coin is worth One point and Queen has Three points.

        The player who won the board also awarded with the opponent's coins remained on the board.

        The player who correctly covered the Queen gains additional 3 points.

       Games are played to a total of 25 points (Best of 8 Board).