How to Keep Score in Carrom

Carrom is thought to have been discovered in India, but there is no official origin. Southeast Asia and Europe picked up the game by the 1980s. It was not until the International Carrom Federation (ICF) was formed in 1998 that the official rules and scoring of carrom were instituted. Today, there are many variations of how carrom is scored, but most players still use the ICF's laws.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Carrom board
• 12 black carrom rings
• 12 white carrom rings
• 1 red ring (queen)
• 2 shooting rings (striker)

1. Set up the board with the queen in the center. The white pieces should form a "Y" around the queen, aiming towards both corner pockets, with the black pieces built around the queen inside the circle.
2. Place the striker along the shooting lines to break. Make sure the striker touches both lines. Whoever shoots first is white--this is usually determined by a coin toss.
3. Play until somebody sinks all of his carrom pieces in the pockets.
4. Determine how many of your opponent's pieces are left on the board. Give yourself 1 point for each piece left on the board by your opponent.
5. Keep track of who covered the queen. In order to receive points for covering the queen, the player needs to score one of his pieces immediately following the pocketing of the queen. If the player who pocketed the queen does not pocket one of her own pieces immediately, the queen is placed back in the center after the turn and no points are awarded. An additional 3 points are awarded for covering the queen.
6. Keep at least 1 piece on the board before sinking the queen, or you will lose that match. You will lose 3 points along with a point for each of your opponent's remaining pieces.
7. Tally up the points at the end of the game. If you scored 25 points, you have won the game. If nobody scores 25, continue to play. You do not receive points for sinking the queen once inside 22 points.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the striker in mind. If you sink the striker into a pocket, you owe a piece back to the board.
• Keep track of your points throughout the matches. You will be able to determine whether sinking the queen is necessary.
• Some versions of carrom score 5 points for sinking the queen.
• Make sure you do not score your opponent's pieces. You will lose a turn for every opponent's piece you sink.