How to Play Carrom Board Game?
Among the two sets of colored discs – white and black, each side is supposed to choose a particular set. This is generally decided by ‘calling the carrom-men’ method, wherein the referee hides a white and a black disc in either hands and the player is supposed to identify in which hand the white disc is, or simply a coin toss. The person who wins the toss starts the game.
After choosing a particular set of colored discs, the players are supposed to pocket all the discs of their set, as well as the queen, using the striker. The striker, as its name suggests, is used to strike the discs, to propel them into the pockets at the four corners of the carrom board. The striker can only be moved by flicking it with fingers. Every time the player pockets a disc from his own set, he gets another chance, until he is not able to pocket any more discs. If he pockets a disc belonging to the opponent, he automatically loses a chance, and the opponent takes over.
According to the standard carrom board game rules, constituted by International Carrom Federation (ICF), the player has to pocket all his discs as well as the queen. On doing this, he either wins the particular board or earns some points and marches towards victory. The queen, though requires a ‘cover’, which means an additional disc belonging to his own set has to be pocketed either simultaneously with the queen, or immediately after the queen. This invariably means that the queen has to be pocketed before the last disc belonging to his own set. If, even by mistake, the player pockets the last disc of his set before taking the queen, he forfeits the board or the points.
Carrom Board Game: Rules and Regulations
All carrom-men should be arranged in such a manner that the queen is at the center, and the white discs form a ‘Y’ in the arrangement. The person who wins the toss, and chooses the set of white discs, plays first or ‘breaks’ to start the game. The player is supposed to strike from his side of the board only, and crossing over to the other side calls for a foul. According to the correct placement of the striker, it has to touch both the lines, and should either cover the end circle completely or not touch it at all. In order to strike a disc forward, use of index finger, middle finger or use of index and middle finger together (scissors shot) is allowed. On the other hand, to strike a disc in the back pocket, only the use of thumb is allowed. The use of thumb, however, is only allowed when back shots are permitted. Generally in carrom doubles, they are not permitted.
Generally, a carrom board game may run up to 25 points or eight boards, whichever comes first. In case of points, the queen has a value of three points, while the other discs have a value of one point each. A player earns points on the basis of the number of opponents discs left behind. Pocketing the queen earns the player 3 points, only if he wins that particular board, and until his score reaches 22 points, after which the queen has no points for the particular player. If the games reaches the eighth board, the player who has more points or more boards to his credit wins the match.
