Carrom rules explained

Carrom looks simple: flick the striker, knock coins into pockets. But the rules about turns, fouls and the queen are what make it a real game of skill. This guide covers the rules played in most homes and clubs, and points out how the Gamesupa version handles each one.

The board and pieces

A carrom board is a smooth, square wooden board with a raised frame and a pocket in each corner. A tournament board has a playing surface about 74 cm (29 inches) on each side. Two lines run along each side of the board, a short distance in from the edge, with a red circle at each end. These are the baselines, and each player shoots from the baseline in front of them.

The pieces are:

• 9 white coins and 9 black coins, one colour for each player or team.
• 1 red coin, called the queen, which is worth extra points.
• The striker, a larger and heavier disc that players flick to hit the coins.

At the start, the queen sits in the centre circle and the other coins are packed tightly around it, alternating colours.

Taking a shot

Place the striker on your baseline. It has to sit between the two lines, and it can't be placed on top of a coin. The exact placement rules vary a little from club to club. Then flick it with your finger to send it into the coins. On Gamesupa you place it with the slider and shoot by pulling back from it and letting go.

The first shot of the game is the break. It usually takes a hard, straight shot into the middle to spread the coins out.

When you shoot again

If you pocket at least one coin of your own colour, you take another shot straight away. Your turn continues until you fail to pocket one of your coins, or until you commit a foul. A good player can clear several coins in a single turn this way.

If you pocket one of your opponent's coins, it stays in the pocket and counts for them. It does not give you another shot.

Fouls

The most common foul is pocketing the striker. When that happens:

• Your turn ends.
• One of the coins you have already pocketed goes back to the centre circle as a penalty.
• If you pocketed any of your own coins on that same shot, they come back out too in many club rules.

On Gamesupa, pocketing the striker ends your turn and returns one of your coins to the centre. If you haven't pocketed any coins yet, there's nothing to return, so you only lose the turn.

The queen

The queen is the most valuable coin on the board, but pocketing it isn't enough. You have to cover it: pocket one of your own coins on the very next shot. If you do, the queen is yours for the rest of the board. If you don't, the queen goes back to the centre and is up for grabs again.

If you pocket the queen and one of your own coins in the same shot, the queen is covered at once.

The queen must be covered before the board can end. You can't pocket your last coin while the queen is still in play. If that happens, the coin is returned to the centre.

Winning a board and counting points

A board ends when one player pockets all nine of their coins, with the queen already covered. That player wins the board and scores:

• 1 point for each of the opponent's coins still on the board.
• 3 points for the queen, if the winner covered it.

So the best possible board is 9 coins left for your opponent plus the queen, for 12 points. In a full match, players play several boards and the first to a target score, often 25, wins. On Gamesupa each game is one board, and the end screen shows your points.

Quick summary

1. Shoot from your baseline.
2. Pocket your own coin and you shoot again.
3. Pocket the striker and you lose a coin and your turn.
4. Pocket the queen, then cover it with your next shot.
5. Clear all nine of your coins first to win the board.