What is Carrom

Often described as a combination of Pool, Marbles and Air Hockey. Carrom has finesse, is action-packed, requires strategy, a game of angles, accuracy and board management. It's exciting. It's fun. It involves everyone - up to FOUR players (or even SIX players with our world's first 'Challenger' Hexagon Carrom board).

Carrom has evolved from a social, friends and family game to a high level of adult tournament competition. Anyone from the age of six to over sixty can try their hand at Carrom - the ultimate board game.

As with all popular sports, Carrom is International in character and status - it is played in over 30 countries and is growing rapidly! Overseas, clubs and districts have been competing for spots in international teams for a shot at the world's best. There have been many International Championships to date - most of these tournaments played under the Laws of Carrom established by the International Carrom Federation.

We at Carrom Australia are pleased that as a result of our tireless efforts, Carrom is now slowly but surely developing and growing in status in Australia and New Zealand.

Singles, doubles or simply by yourself are three ways in which you can play this game. If you're playing singles, you'll need one other player. You'll sit at opposite ends opposing each other. Whereas in doubles, there are 4 players only this time, it's partners who sit opposite each other.


(1) Carrom is played on a large square wooden board with a small pocket in each corner. There are nine white coins, nine black coins, one red coin called the 'Queen', and a Striker disc. Imagine playing pool with your fingers instead of a cue, and with small wooden discs instead of balls.	(2) Place the Striker in between the thick and thin lines on your side of the board so that it touches each line. Using your middle, index finger or thumb, you flick the striker like a cue ball to sink the wooden checker-sized coins into any of the four corner pockets.

The red coin can be pocketed any time after a player pockets his first piece. The idea is to pot the coins into any or all of the 4 pockets. Sounds like billiards - doesn't it? Each player will get just one chance. But of course if he/she pots a coin, he/she gets another strike.

Points are tallied and the first player to score twenty-five points wins the game. Now all that is needed is a Carrom stand or a table to put the board on, chairs and 1, 2 or 4 players. Also, a lot of Carrom powder is needed to keep the striker and coins sliding smoothly.

There are two basic games, (1) Blacks and Whites and (2) Money. Besides these, players use their imagination and make their own innovations to help them improve their game.

(1) Blacks and Whites	(2) Money

One team picks blacks and the other picks whites (white starts). You've got to try and pot all the coins of your colour before your opponent(s) pot theirs. To set-up this game, place the coins as per the image.	In this game, you're free to pocket coins of any colour you wish. With blacks at 10 points and whites at 20 points, players normally aim for the bigger points. The Queen is worth 50 points. But it needs a cover (you have to pot another coin after you've potted the Queen) or else it comes back on to the centre of the board. To set-up the coins for refer to the image.