Carrom Game: A Complete Guide for Beginners

Carrom is one of the most popular board games that is being played not just in India but across the world. People of all age groups have been playing carrom for several decades. The game of carrom originated in India and it was believed to be invented in the 19th century by Maharajah Yashwant Rao Holkar of Indore, who was looking for a game that can be played by people of all ages and skill levels. In the 20th century, Carrom became popular in parts of South Asia and eventually spread across Europe and other parts of the world. Later, the game began to play as a competitive sport and International Carrom Federation was formed in October 1988.

Today, the game of Carrom is played and enjoyed by millions of people around the world, both as a pastime activity and a serious sport. In every household in India, there must be a carrom board. However, over the last few years, the advent of technology and the internet led to the invention of Carrom. Online Carrom has indeed changed the way the game is played. Irrespective of the board games like carrom moved online, the essence of the game has never faded. Even today, there are people who prefer playing carrom on a traditional board rather than online.

Here’s a Guide on How to Play Carrom:

1. Carrom is played with two to four players. Two players can play the singles game, while four players can play in teams of two. The carrom board has four pockets, one in each corner. Place the carrom men in the centre of the board, with the Queen (red) in the middle.
2. The broad objective of the carrom game is to use the striker with a flick of the finger to drive the carrom men in any of the four corners of the board. Players take turns flicking their striker at their carrom men (black or white), with an aim of pocketing them in the pockets on the board.
3. The aim main of the game is to pocket all your carrom men and Queen before the opponent does. The first player to pocket all their carrom men and Queen will be declared the winner of the Carrom game.
4. Players must first pocket the carrom man of their colour, either white or black before attempting to pocket the Queen. If a player pockets a carrom man and then pockets the queen, they win the queen and can continue to pocket their carrom men. The player has to cover the Queen by pocketing their carrom men. If they fail to pocket a Carrom man, then he/she has to return to the board.
5. In Carrom’s game, there is a foul. If they pocket the striker or other player’s carrom men then he/she will receive a foul. If a player receives a foul, then their turn is over and they must one of their pocketed carroms to the board.

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Scoring System in Carrom Game:

1. While playing Carrom Game is important to understand the scoring system. Here is the scoring pattern in Carrom:
2. When a player pockets a carrom man (black or white), then he/she earns 1 point.
3. Pocketing a Queen earns a player three points
4. If a player pockets a carrom man immediately after pocketing the Queen, then he/she earns extra two points. This move is known as ‘Covering the Queen’. The more the player covers the Queen more they will get extra two points.
5. When a player commits a foul, then the opponent will get two points. Examples of fouls include pocketing the striker, pocketing the opponent’s carrom man, or failing to hit any coin during their turn. A player will be given 15 seconds to hit a carrom man.
6. If a player fails to hit a carrom man within 15 seconds during the turn, then he/she would lose one point.
7. The player with the highest number of points will be declared the winner of the Carrom Game.

Also Read: Why We Must All Play Online Carrom Board Games

Importance of Queen in the Carrom Game:

• The Queen is the most piece that holds a special place in the Carrom game. The Queen (red coin) plays a huge role even if you have no carrom man in hand. Here are the reasons why Queen is important:
• The main aim of the game is to pocket the maximum number of carrom pieces and the Queen is the key to scoring big points. If a player pockets the Queen, then he/she will get three points. If a player covers the queen, then they will get two extra points. The more the player covers the queen more they will get extra points.
• Queen will penalize the player if they fail to pocket a carrom man immediately after pocketing the Queen. The player has to return the Queen to the board if they fail to cover it. Moreover, If a player pockets the striker or carrom piece but fails to pocket the Queen then he/she has to return one of their pocketed pieces to the board.
• Once the player pocketed all their carrom men and Queen, then they will be declared the winner of the game. One cannot be the winner without the Queen, no matter how many carrom men they pocketed.
• Strategically, Queen is often used to block the opponents or to set up shots for oneself. Many experienced carrom players will focus on pocketing the Queen at the start of the game to gain an early advantage.

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