Carrom Rules

These rules are taken from the International Carrom Federation For full details please visit the ICF website. How to Play Two, three or four people can play. In singles, your opponent sits across from you; in doubles, you play opposite your partner. With three, you can play for points (blacks count one, whites count two, the queen counts five.) How to arrange the pieces on the board Line up the double whites to aim 'dead-on' into a corner pocket. Whoever plays first, or breaks, is always white. The object of the game is to sink all of your pieces, using the heavier 'striker', in any of the pockets before your opponent. Your turn continues as long as you keep sinking your pieces - luck shots count and all combinations are permitted. When placing the striker on the board to shoot, the striker must touch both 'base lines' (see left diagram), either covering the red circle completely, or not touching it at all. The striker may not touch the diagonal arrow line. Shooting styles are very personal - whichever 'grip' works for you is fine as long as you 'flick' the striker and don't push it. Generally, it's best to orient your body in order to see the line of your aim while shooting comfortably; you may not move or leave your chair. For forward shots, you can use your index finger, middle finger, or even the 'scissors' shot (right). Tip on technique: Before shooting, try touching the striker with your fingernail, to be sure that it's really on line. This will improve your accuracy and prevent you from hurting your finger. For 'back-shots' you may only use your thumb or the scissors technique. No part of your body, except your hand, may cross the imaginary diagonal line (wrong in illustration) nor may your elbow protrude over the frame in front of you. Even your feet or knees my not leave your quadrant. The red piece, or 'queen,' can be pocketed at any time after sinking your first piece but must be sunk before your last one. After pocketing the queen, you must sink one of your pieces, thereby 'covering' it, into any pocket in the next shot, or she is returned to the center spot. Once the queen is covered, whoever clears their pieces first wins the 'board'. The winner of a board collects one point for each of the opponent's pieces left at the finish and three points for the queen if covered by the winner (if covered by the loser, no-one gets those points). No more points are collected for the queen after your score reaches 22. A game consists of 25 points or eight boards, whichever comes first. MISCELLANEOUS RULES * Sinking the striker costs you one piece and your turn. But, if you sink a piece in the same shot, then two come up and you shoot again. * After sinking the striker, your opponent places the due piece(s) within the center circle. If you haven't sunk one yet, you owe one. * If while shooting for the queen you also sink one of your pieces, the queen is automatically covered, no matter which went first. * If a piece jumps off the board, it is placed on the center spot. If pieces land on end or are overlapping, they are left that way. * If the center spot is partially covered when replacing the queen or a jumped piece, the piece should cover as much red as possible. If totally covered, the piece is placed opposite the next player behind the red spot. * If you sink your opponent's piece, you lose your turn. If you sink their last piece, you lose the board and three points. * If you sink your last piece before the queen, you lose the board, three points and one point for each of your opponent's pieces left. * If the striker does not leave both lines, go again. You get three tries to break before losing your turn. For more detailed rules and regulations, refer to the Laws of Carrom booklet from carrom.org

Carrom Strikers We have a selection of carrom strikers for all budgets. There are nice "Imitation Ivory" tournament strikers that sell for $8 and $10, a denser striker ("Pool Ball") made of phenalic, conforming to the lower profile of ivory, for $13, and Arun Deshpande's tested and approved striker for $15. Less expensive beginner strikers start at $3. NAME Thin plastic WEIGHT 8 THICKNESS 4 COLORS white w/ simple design white w/ simple design white w/ simple design red or white w/ geometric designs simple design single circle applique design blue or white with fancy designs white with designs/two-toned BOARD Ellora PRICE $3

Medium plastic

10

Kidsmaster

$3

Thick plastic

12

Winit

$4

Supreme round

11

Winit

$6

Imitation Ivory *Ashish Exclusive Tournament Rapidex/Pool Ball Carrom Strikers

15

Tournament

$8

15

Champion

$20

15 gms

Tournament

$10

15 gms

Champion

$13

* - Individually tested and approved by Arun Deshpande, Coach, Indian National Carrom Team

Carrom pieces We have a wide range of Carrom pieces (Carrom men or coins) ranging from basic to high end tournament coins. All pieces come with two spare white and black and a spare queen. All standard pieces are made from solid wood and come in a nicely presented box. These pieces are durable and hardwearing and should last a long time. Packs of carrom pieces range from $10 to $18.

NAME Five Star Basco Champion Break to Finish White Slam

WEIGHT 3.5 5 5.5 5.5 5.5

COLOR Black/ white Black/ white Black/ tan Black/ tan Black/ tan

BOARD Ellora Winit Amateur Champion Champion

PACKAGE Cardboard box Cardboard box Cardboard box Plastic box Plastic box

PRICE $5 $5 $10 $13 $13

Note: All coins and strikers conform to ICF size regulations * - made by Zubair Sports Industries, Bangalore

Carrom Stands

Our folding wooden stands are sufficient to support any of our boards. They are painted black but may have some slight irregularities in their finish. Shims might be needed to level the board. At $35, they are a convenient and inexpensive option. We also stock collapsable metal stands with leveling screws, the same used in the World Championships, for $65. Synco has also designed a new tubular, plungerstyle pop-up stand that is far easier to use than the older metal design. Comes with carrying case for $50. (shipping weight: 12 lbs.)
Carrom Stands Wooden Tubular pop-up Metal $35 $50 $65

Carrom powder

The powder that we use is a blended vegetable starch, a European innovation where the toxicity of boric became an issue. Our new starch is smoother and less noisy than potato starch and works very well on all boards. It runs runs faster than boric powder if used very sparingly but still has that silky feel. Starch is now used in all ICF events in Europe and the United States and costs $5 for a 12 oz. bag. (plus shipping) Although you may find food-grade potato starch locally through gourmet and specialty grocery stores, our super-fine powder, manufactured for the printing

industry, plays better than any other we've found. Extremely fine and smooth, this powder is used sparingly for best results.
Carrom Powder 12 oz. in a zip-lock bag 1.5 lbs. in a zip-lock bag 3 lbs. in two zip-lock bags $5 $9 $15

Accessory (includes stand, powder, striker) Pack We feature an accessory package for $45 which includes a folding wooden stand, 12 oz. of powder, and a Supreme Round striker. The tubular stand accessory pack includes the same and costs $60 while the collapsable metal stand pack costs $75. For striker upgrades, contact us via email. Accessory pack

Standard Wood Tubular Metal Collapsable Metal

$45 $60 $75

Arun CARROM Tips and Tecnique / CARROM Player's Guide (Books) Deshpande's Book and DVD CARROM Treasure / CARROM Technique (DVDs) Created by former National Champion and current coach of the World Champion Indian National Carrom team, Arun Deshpande's book and DVDs on carrom covers all aspects of the game. From beginner to expert, Arun's works are invaluable resources for improving your game. Complete with diagrams and demonstrations of practice and advanced shots, as well as white slams. Carrom Book or DVD $15.00.