Carrom, a tabletop game that originated in India, is now available worldwide. Carrom has seen a steady increase in popularity over the years. There are many clubs that hold tournaments and compete in competitions. However, it can also be played in a more casual setting. The game is most commonly played with friends or family in a group.
Synco Boards are a well-known brand in Carrom Boards. Synco Boards are made from premium wood and have a superior playing surface.
Here is a guide to how to play Carrom.
What's the purpose of Carrom?
Your goal is to flick your Striker at Carrom Men / Coins using your finger. This will force them into one of the four corners pockets. The winner is the team or player who has all their Coins, sometimes with the Queen.
How to set up your Carrom Board
Place your Carrom Board 60 cm - 70 cm from the floor. You can use one of our Carrom Stands if you don't own a table.
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Lightly dust the Board in Carrom Powder, and place the Queen in its centre circle.
Arrange the Carrom Men/Coins around the Queen, alternate the light and dark pieces in a circle.
Find out which player is going to win. You could either toss a coin, or guess which hand your opponent holds their striker.
How to break in Carrom: The First Step
Breaking refers the first shot in a game. Similar to Billiards and Billiards, the goal is to disperse Carrom Men around a Board and away from Queen.
You must flick your Striker between the rectangular base lines to take the break shot. The Striker must touch both the base lines, but not any of the diagonals.
If the Striker fails to leave both base lines during breaking, the player can attempt to break again up to three more times before the turn passes.
To ensure that your striker glides across the board smoothly, make sure to use high-quality Carrom Powder.
The player who has a Coin can take another shot if they have a Coin. Each Coin pot by a player entitles them for another shot. You can win the game by giving your opponent only one shot.
A player who fails to place their colour coin on a shot forfeits control of the Striker.
Men with Carrom
The following rules govern Potting Carrom Men, or, as they are more commonly known, Carrom Laws.
The Striker can hit Carrom Men who are not within the player's baseline or behind it. The Striker cannot hit Carrom Men if they are not touching the baseline, or in front of it. You will be penalized if you strike your last piece before the Queen.
A Carrom piece that is knocked off the board during a player's turn is returned to the center of the board. All pieces that overlap or stay on their edges are left as they are. If a piece is already in the middle of the board, it should be moved back to touch the red centre circle. The piece should be placed in the opposite direction of the player who will strike the next behind the red circle if the centre circle is completely covered.
If a player strikes their last Carrom man before the Queen, they will be penalized (see fouls below).
A player who pots a Carrom piece of their opponent's colour loses their turn. The player who sinks the last piece of their opponent's Carrom piece loses the game and gets 3 points off their score.
A player who pots their last Carrom piece prior to the Queen loses the game and gets three points off their total score.
The Carrom men can be kept in the pocket provided they are not owed to another player. (See the striking information below.
How to Cover the Queen Successfully
A player must first take out their own colour Coin to cover and pocket the Queen. Next, they must pocket the Queen on their next turn.
The Queen will be returned to the centre if it is pocketed by a player on their first turn.
Once a player has correctly covered the Queen and pocketed it, the winner of the board is the player who sinks all his Coins.
Use your Striker
To take every shot, players must use their Striker. The Striker must be placed between the base lines in front of the player. The player may try again up to 3 times if the Striker fails on both lines.
The Striker must cross the front baseline in front of you, and you are not permitted to flip backwards or horizontally.
If the Striker is accidentally taken during a turn the opposing player owes them a Carrom Coin. They must return one of their colours to the centre.
If a player does not have any Carrom Coins, they will owe another player a Coin. They must return it as soon as possible.
What is Carrom's foul?
These actions are all considered fouls:
- The Striker's Pocket
- If a player takes a piece from an opponent,
- If a piece is removed from the board
- If the last piece of a player is taken before the Queen, it has been covered
- Before taking a shot, the player misplaced the striker.
- The diagonal foul line is crossed by a player's arm.
- Failure to correctly break on three of the player's attempts will result in a forfeit
Carrom scoring
The points are added together at the end of each game. The player with more points wins. Each Carrom Coin equals one point.
Each piece of opposition on the board that is not won by the player winning the board earns them an additional point.
Additional 5 points are awarded to the player who correctly covers the Queen.
The games are played up to a maximum of 29 points.
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