Carrom — basic rules
Arrange the carrom men in the centre of the board (picture 1). From the baseline (picture 2), flick the striker forwards or backwards with one finger, aiming to pocket one of your own carrom men in any pocket. Keep your hand still (picture 3). The first player to pocket all their carrom men wins.
- The player who breaks plays white.
- If you pocket one of your own carrom men or the queen (the red piece), you continue playing.
- You cannot win while the queen is still on the board.
Queen
Either player must pocket the red piece after their first and before their last carrom man, and cover it on the next shot. Otherwise, it is returned to the red spot in the centre of the board. The queen only counts for the winner!
Fouls
If the striker is pocketed on its own or together with an opponent's carrom man, the player loses their turn. The opponent takes one of the offending player's pocketed carrom men and places it as a penalty piece in the area between the centre spot and the outer circle. The opponent then plays.
If the striker is pocketed with one of your own carrom men, that carrom man is returned to the central playing area. You may continue, but your opponent also places a penalty piece.
If you pocket your opponent's last carrom man while the queen is still on the board, you lose the board (3 points for the queen plus the points for your remaining carrom men).
If you pocket your own last carrom man while the queen is still on the board, you lose by 3 points.
Baseline
Return the striker to the baseline for each shot. It must touch both lines (the thick and the thin line) or completely cover one of the red circles at either end.
Scoring
Count the loser's remaining carrom men, plus 3 points for the queen if the winner pocketed it. Play to 25 points or 8 boards. Once a player has 22 points, the queen no longer adds to their score.