Carrom queen rules: how to pocket and cover it
What the red queen is worth in carrom, how to cover it, what happens if you miss, and why it must be covered before your last coin.
The red coin in the middle of a carrom board is called the queen, and it causes more arguments than any other rule in the game. When can you pocket it? What does "covering" mean? What if your striker goes in on the same shot? This guide explains the standard queen rules and exactly how they work on Gamesupa.
What the queen is
A carrom set has 9 white coins, 9 black coins and one red coin. The red coin is the queen. At the start of a board it sits on the centre spot, with the white and black coins packed around it in a circle. The queen doesn't belong to either player. Whoever pockets it and covers it properly claims it.
Pocketing the queen
You pocket the queen like any other coin: hit it with your striker, directly or off another coin, so that it drops into one of the four corner pockets. Pocketing the queen counts as a successful shot, so you shoot again.
In many club and tournament rules, you're only allowed to pocket the queen after you've already pocketed at least one of your own coins. Gamesupa keeps things simpler for quick games and lets you go for the queen at any time.
Covering the queen
Pocketing the queen isn't enough. You must cover it, which means pocketing one of your own coins on your very next shot. If you do, the queen is yours for the rest of the board.
- Queen and your coin in the same shot: the queen counts as covered straight away.
- Queen first, your coin on the next shot: covered.
- Queen first, then a miss on the next shot: not covered. The queen goes back to the centre of the board and is up for grabs again.
- Queen first, then a foul on the next shot (for example the striker falls into a pocket): not covered, and the queen goes back to the centre.
On Gamesupa, a message tells you when you've pocketed the queen and need to cover it, and again when the queen is covered or returned.
The queen and your last coin
The queen must be covered before anyone can finish the board. If you pocket your last coin while the queen is still on the board, that coin is returned to the centre and your turn goes on. So when you have one or two coins left, it is time to think about the queen, either covering it yourself or making sure your opponent hasn't left it in an easy spot.
What the queen is worth
When a board ends, the winner scores one point for every coin the opponent still has on the board. If the winner also covered the queen, they get 3 extra points. If the loser covered the queen, it adds nothing to anyone's score in Gamesupa's simple scoring. In official play there are extra rules, such as the queen bonus only counting until a player reaches a certain total, but the idea is the same: the queen is a valuable prize.
Tips for winning the queen
- Plan the cover before you pocket the queen. Look for one of your coins sitting close to a pocket. If none is easy, it may be better to leave the queen for now.
- Pocket the queen and a coin together. When the queen and one of your coins sit near the same pocket, a single shot can do both.
- Use soft shots. A hard shot at the queen often sends the striker into a pocket too, and a foul returns the queen straight away.
- Watch your opponent's cover. If they've just pocketed the queen, don't leave their coins sitting on the lip of a pocket for an easy cover.
- Don't forget it near the end. Many beginners clear eight coins, then realise they can't finish because the queen is still out.
On Gamesupa, the player who owns the queen gets a small red dot next to their name in the score bar, so you can always see who has claimed it.
For the rest of the rules, read Carrom rules explained, and for aiming help, Carrom tips for beginners.