There’s no denying that Carrom board is arguably one of the most popular and entertaining indoor games in the world. The game, much like Ludo, requires either singles or doubles for participation. When it comes to the game structure, players need to have a high and square wooden board with netted holes as the game’s court.
Additionally, the board must ideally have arrows and lines to follow the Carrom rules. Moreover, it would be best to have nine white and nine black round-shaped discs (better known as Carrom men), a red disc- queen, and one acrylic disc known as “striker.”
Overview
Carrom is a popular indoor game designed to test the players’ in-game skills, accuracy, and nerves. In this game, the players’ primary objective is to pocket all the Carrom men of their assigned color before the opponent does. Players can only pocket the Carrom men by shooting them with the striker to targeted corner net pockets. It’s essential to mention that the only way to accumulate more points is by pocketing the maximum Carrom men possible.
Rules to Follow
As mentioned already, a Carrom board comes with several lines, arrows, and circles. They are popularly known as the foul lines, straight lines, and baselines. To put it simply, the foul lines run in parallel with the diagonals while the baselines are there at the edge of the board. Players must place their strikers inside these lines when attempting a stroke to avoid any foul. Here is a detailed breakdown of seven Carrom rules that players must follow to prevent in-game fouls.
- Shooting the Striker to the Pocket
First of all, you must ensure that your striker never hits the pocket when attempting a shot. It’s the Carrom men that you must pocket instead of the striker. If you have pocketed the striker, you will have to return a piece from the already pocketed Carrom men as a penalty for committing the foul.
- Pocketing the Opponent’s Carrom Disc
Your primary objective when playing Carrom should be to pocket as many Carrom men as possible from your assigned color group. Given the condition, you are not to pocket the Carrom men of your opponent. This is against the standard practice and is called the improper stroke that results in a similar penalty as mentioned above.
- The Striker for Carrom Men Jumps off The Board
When you play the game, there could be a moment when your striker or a Carrom man jumps off the board. You will have to sacrifice your turn in such a scenario while also returning the grounded striker for Carrom men on the board. The Carrom disc will take a central position while the opponent will take the next round.
- Netting the Queen and an Opponent’s Disc
When it comes to pocketing the queen, players need to back their shot with a cover. However, if you cover your queen with a piece of your opponent, such a move will be counted as foul. If such is the situation mid-game, you will have to return the queen to the game, right in the center. Furthermore, you will also have to remove a Carrom man from your kitty as a penalty.
- Touching Any Carrom Men with the Player’s Hands
This is one of the most fundamental rules in Carrom– players must never touch any Carrom men with their hands once the game has commenced. They can place the discs into the middle of the board if there is a fine but not touch those still taking positions in-game. If a player unknowingly or knowingly feels any Carrom man, they will be subjected to a penalty.
- Violation of the Rules during the Strokes
If a player violates any rule when attempting a stroke in Carrom, he will be subject to penalties as per the game and competition rules. Please stick to the rules mentioned above when participating in a board game.
- Using the Striker by Pushing
Finally, when you are playing Carrom board, you must use your strikers to pocket all the Carrom men. However, it would be best if you didn’t push the acrylic disc instead of flicking. The rulebook doesn’t permit any player to push the striker on the Carrom board. If found out, players will miss out on their turn.
Endnote
In conclusion, it’s essential to mention that most rule violations are unintended in Carrom. Simply put, neither the players have those mistakes under their control nor do they happen by choice. However, they must be cautious about not violating the rules of the game. As mentioned already, it would be best if players can adhere to the rules discussed above to remain on the positive side of things when playing the game for greater rewards.