In this article, we will discuss the Rules of Carrom Board.
Rules of Carrom Board
Carrom originated in India in the 18th century. Before knowing the Rules let’s see what his game is more about.
Carrom Board consists of:
• A carrom board
• 9 white discs
• 9 black discs
• 1 red disc
• 1 acrylic disc
Carrom is a strike-and-pocket table game originating from India, for 2 or 4 players. The objective of play is to use a larger disc — the so-called striker — to pocket the lighter objective discs, or carrom-men into one of four corner pockets.
The game has many variants, some of them providing easier rules suitable for families or groups of friends, while other game modes require more advanced skills.
The most common game variants —including the official tournament rules — are explained in this rulebook.
This game variant is suitable for 2 players. The aim is to pocket your carrom-men before your opponent, while also pocketing and covering the queen for bonus points.
All 19 carrom-men (9 white, 9 black, 1 queen) have to be set up in the center circle. To begin, the Queen is placed in the center of the board.
The six pieces are kept near the Queen directly in a circle, each touching the Queen and their neighbors. The left twelve pieces are positioned near the inner circle of six pieces so that each outer piece touches the inner circle.
Both circles must have the pieces dating in color. The two circles are oriented so that the Queen, a white piece from the inner circle, and a white piece from the outer circle lie in a straight line pointing towards the center of the side of the board where the player who will play first is sitting.
Shots of CARROM BOARD
These are the shots which are taken in carrom Board during playing which are as follows:
- Slide Shot
- Cut and Take
- Double Shot
- Centre Cut
- Board Shot
- Back Shot
- Middle Shot
- Thunb Shot
- Alley-oop
- Second hit
International Carrom Rules and Regulations
Here is the International Carrom rules and regulation of
• No of players: Minimum 4 (3 boys + 1 Girl)
• A player can play a maximum of 2 games
• A player can play a maximum of 1 singles game
• The event will be played following the international rules mentioned on the carrom federation website.
Format of the Games: Best of 5 Games
Order of Games:
Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Mixed doubles, Men’s Doubles, Men’s Singles
Each game consists of 2 boards. The one with maximum points after 2 boards is the winner. In case of a tie, a 3rd board will be played. (Queen=3 points, Coin = 1 point)
Carrom Board Arrow Rules
There are two arrows on each side provided in the carrom board, and they are placed at an angle of 45 degrees to the sides of the carrom board. The arrows are directed toward the middle of the pocket, and they should be left clear of any pieces or the striker when having a shot.
If the striker touches an arrow when it is hit, it is believed to be a foul and the player’s turn is finished. The other player then gets their chance to carry their turn.
There are some exceptions to the arrow rules as well. For instance, if the striker is set on a base circle, it is permitted to touch the arrow. Also, if the striker is hit and it struck another piece that then touches the arrow, it is not taken as a foul.
Summary of Arrow Rules in Table
| Rule | Description |
| The striker must not touch an arrow when it is hit. |
This is taken as a foul and the player’s turn is finish.
|
| There are some exceptions to this rule as well. | For instance, if the striker is set on a base circle, it is permitted to touch the arrow. Also, if the striker is hit and it struck another piece that then touches the arrow, it is not taken as a foul. |
| The arrows should be clearly seen and marked on the carrom board. |
This is to make sure that players are aware of the location of the arrows and neglect striking them when striking the striker.
|
| The arrows should be the same width as the other lines on the board. |
This is to make sure that the arrows are uniform and do not provide one player an unfair benefit.
|
| The arrows should be prepared of a durable material that will not rub out quickly. |
This is to make sure that the arrows can resist the wear and tear of gameplay.
|
Foul in Carrom Board
Here is the foul and penalty in Carrom Board as follows:
| Foul | Penalty |
| Pocketing your own carrom man |
The opponent gets 1 point
|
| Pocketing the queen without covering it |
The opponent gets 3 points
|
| Hitting the queen out of the board |
The opponent gets 3 points
|
| Hitting the striker out of the board |
The opponent gets 1 point and you lose your turn
|
How to Play Carrom Board
Two, three, or four people can play. In singles, your opponent sits across from you; in doubles, you play opposite your partner. With three, you can play for points.
How to arrange the pieces on the board?
Line up the double whites to point ‘dead-on’ into a corner pocket. The person who plays first, or breaks is always white.
The aim of the game is to sink all of your pieces, utilizing the heavier ‘striker’, in any of the pockets before your opponent. Your turn continues as long as you do sinking your carroms – luck shots count and all combinations are passes.
When laying the striker on the board to shoot, the striker must touch both ‘base lines’ , either covering the red circle fully or not touching it at all. The striker should not touch the diagonal arrow line.
Shooting styles are very personal – whichever ‘grip’ works for you is fine as long as you ‘flick’ the striker and don’t push it. Generally, it’s best to orient your body in order to see the line of your aim while shooting comfortably; you may not move or leave your chair.
For forward shots, you can use your index finger, middle finger, or even the ‘scissors’ shot (right).
Tip on technique: Before shooting, try touching the striker with your fingernail, to be sure that it’s really on the line. This will improve your accuracy and prevent you from hurting your finger.
I. STANDARD EQUIPMENT
The Standard Equipment includes the following things :
A. Carrom Board
B. Carrommen
C. Striker
D.Table or Stand
E. Stool or Chair
F. Powder
G. Nets H. Light
About Carrom Board
1. Playing Surface
The playing surface of the Carrom Board must be made of plywood or any other wood equally smooth and be not lower than 8 mm in thickness less than 73.50 cm and more of 74 cm square with its surface fully smooth.
A Carom Board must be able to have at least three and a half runs of a generally smooth striker of 15 gms weight when struck with the maximum force. From one of the baselines to the opposite frame of the Carom Board.
b. Frames
Adjoining the playing surface of the Carrom Board there shall be wooden frames with inside curved corners made of Rosewood or any other hardwood with good resistance.
With a minimum height of 1.90 cm and a maximum of 2.54 cm from the playing surface. The breadth of the frame shall be not less than 6.35 cm and not more than 7.60 cm. Suitable bracings. It must be provided below the playing surface and fastened with the frame.
c. Pocket
The pockets of the four corners of the Carom Board shall be round inwardly and not outwardly and be 4.45 cm in diameter with an admissible variation of not more than 0.15 cm. The piece of plywood adjoining the corners of the frame shall be cut off.
d. Base Lines
a) Two straight lines of 47 cm in length with an admissible variation of 0.30 cm equally distributed on all sides, black in color, shall be drawn on each of the four sides of the playing surface, parallel to the frame on each side.
The lower of these two lines shall be between 0.50cm and 0.65 cm thickness. shall be 10.15cm away from the frame and the other one 3.18cm away from the lower part of the baseline.
b) The baselines shall be closed by circles of 3.18 an in diameter at either end.
Carrom Board Points
Black Carrom is worth 1 Point.
White Carrom is worth 2 Point
Queen Carrom is worth 5 Point
| Action | Points |
| Pocketing a carrom man | 1 point |
| Pocketing the queen | 3 points |
| Covering the queen | 5 points |
| The opponent’s carrom men left on the board | 1 point per man |
What if the cover and striker pocketed together?
You can’t say that Queen is “covered” if the striker moves into the pocket along with the cover. Two of your pocketed coins will stay in play as it is taken as double due and requires you to again pocket the one coin (cover) without double due to get the queen covered.
This was for the rules of Carrom Board.
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