How to Play Carrom

Objective of the game

The aim of the game is to score the most points. You can play one-on-one or in teams of two, taking turns and working together to score.

To score points, flick the Striker (the white counter) at coloured counters to knock them into the pockets. Keep score as you go until all counters have been pocketed.

Black counters are worth 5 points.

Brown counters are worth 10 points.

You can also score 50 points by pocketing the red counter (the Queen). But be warned! If you pocket the Queen, you must immediately pocket another black or brown counter. This is known as ‘covering the Queen’. If you fail to cover the queen, you lose all points scored on your turn, and the Queen is returned to the centre of the board.

Setting up the board

Start by organising the counters in the Carrom Star, ready for play:

1. Sprinkle the board with Carrom powder to help the pieces glide easily.
2. Place the Queen (the red counter) in the very centre of the board.
3. Arrange six counters directly around the Queen, alternating between black and brown. Two of the brown pieces should point towards the bottom corners of the board, and all pieces should be touching their neighbours.
4. Arrange the remaining black and brown pieces in a circle immediately surrounding the inner circle, again alternating colours.

The first turn: Breaking the Carrom Star

The first player is granted one shot to break the Carrom Star. The aim of this first turn is to disturb the central pieces as much as possible and get them towards the pockets.

Take turns to strike

Once the Carrom Star is broken, each turn consists of one strike. To strike, place the Striker on your baseline and flick it at the other counters to knock it into the pockets. If you pocket a counter, you can strike again. If not, pass the Striker to the next player for their turn.

Rules of play

• You must place the Striker on the baseline before each turn, including when breaking the Carrom Star.
• Each turn consists of one strike, unless you pocket a counter. If you pocket a counter, you can have another strike immediately.
• Once you pocket the Queen, you must cover it by immediately pocketing another counter. If you fail to cover the Queen, all points scored on that turn are void, and the Queen must return to the centre of the board.
• Pocketing the Striker results in a foul. Your last pocketed piece is placed back on the board, and you lose the points for it.
• If a piece jumps off the board, it is placed on the center spot. If pieces land on end or are overlapping, they are left that way.
• If you sink your opponent’s piece, you lose your turn. If you sink their last piece, you lose the board and three points.
• If you sink your last piece before the queen, you lose the board, three points and one point for each of your opponent’s pieces left.

Ending the game

The game is over once all counters have been pocketed. The Queen must be pocketed before the final turn, as you need to ‘cover the Queen’ once it’s pocketed.

When all counters are out of play, tot up your score and declare a winner!