Carrom Board

A carrom-man (also carrom man, carromman, carroman; plural men ; sometimes abbreviated c/m; and known by colloquial terms such as seed, coin, puck, or ti) is a usually wooden (sometimes plastic), uniform small disk used in playing carrom. The carrom men have a smooth movement in a flat position on the surface of the carrom board when hit by a striker of standard specification.

The carrom-men come in two colors denoting the two players (or,in doubles play, teams). Traditionally, these colors are white (or unstained) and black. The breaker always plays white. An additional, special carrom-man is colored red and called the queen"

ICF-sanctioned pieces must have a diameter of no more than 3.18 cm and no less than 3.02 cm, and must be between 7 mm and 9 mm thick, with an edge that is round and plain, and a weight of 5-5.5 g.

The red (or sometimes pink) queen or match -taker coin/seed, is the most powerful carrom piece. It is placed at the center of the circle. Under ICF rules, if a player wins the board with the queen, this adds three 3 queen points to the player's total score. A player has the right to pocket the queen and to cover it provided a carrom man of the player's own has already been pocketed.

Under ICF rules, the dimensions of the queen must be the same as those of the other carrom-men.

The striker is a larger, heavier piece, flicked with the finger to hit the carrom-men and knock them into the corner pockets or into each other. According to the laws by ICF, the striker shall be smooth and round, with a diameter not more than 4.13 cm. Its weight should not be more than 15 grams. Ivory and metal strikers are not allowed in tournaments.

High quality powder is used on the board to enable the pieces to slide easily. Boric acid powder is the most commonly used for this purpose.

In the UK, many players use a version of anti-set-off spray powder from the printing industry which has specific electrostatic properties with particles of 50 micrometers in diameter. The powder is made from pure, food-grade vegetable starch.

International rules (sometimes hyperbolic ally called the laws of carrom) are promulgated by the India-based international carrom federation, the governing body of carrom. The organisation also ranks players, sanctions tournaments and presents awards, and has many national affiliates such as the all-India carron federation, Australian carrom federation, UK carrom association and us carrom association. There is a penalty a person has to pay if his striker goes in the hole. This term is referred to as deuce. The penalty is usually 10.

Order  of play is determined by the process of calling the carrom-men or, simply, the toss". Before the commencement of each match, in formal play, an umpire hides one black and one white carrom-men in his hands and the players have to guess which carrommen  in his hands and the players have to guess which carrommen are being held in each hand. The player who wins the toss must either choose to strike first or to change sides ( from white to black) and give up the opening break. NO option to pass this decision to the and give up the opening break. No option to pass this decision to the other player is available. If the player chooses to strike, the loser can change sides, but if the winner chooses to change sides the loser must strike first.

In a doubles event, the team winning the toss has the choice, as above. Once the toss-losers have sat down, they may not interchange. This order of sitting continues throughout the match. whoever plays first or breaks gets white.

The aim of the game is to pot one's own nine carrom men before one's opponent pots his/hers. However, before sinking one's final carrom man, the queen must be pocketed and then covered by pocketing one of one's own carrom men on the same or subsequent strike. Fouls, such as crossing the diagonal lines on the board with any part of one's body, or potting the striker, lead to carrom men being returned to the board . The players is allowed to shoot with any finger, including the thumbed (know as thumbing or a thumb shot). The players can shoot c/m on his/her base line while playing back shot (thumbing). At any point of time the player should not strike any of the coins on the diagonal line closer to the player.

A variant often popular with children or an odd number of players. play is as above except that all players try to sink all carrom men, regardless of color. The nine carrom men of the other color are worth one point each and the nine carrom men of the other color are worth tow points each. The red queen is worth five points and may only be captured by pocketing another carrom man on the same or subsequent strike. A player reaching 17 or more points is the winner, otherwise the winner is the player with the most points after all carrom men have been pocketed.

Generally speaking, two or four people can play carrom. If two, the players sit opposite each other, while with four, the opposite two are partners. As an exception, though, you can play with three players against each other for points.

Arrange the carrom men on the center circle of the carrom board as shown in the following illustration, with the red queen at the center. The whites should be lined up to form a Y shape, with two sides aiming directly towards the corner pockets.

Each player sits on his side of the board and can only strike from that side. The contestant playing white breaks or plays first, which can be decided by the toss of coin. The object of the game of carrom is to sink all of your carrom men, using the heavier striker in any of the pockets before your opponent. Your turn continues as long as you keep sinking your carrom men-luck shots count and all combinations are permitted.

When placing the striker on the board to shoot, it must touch both base lines either covering the end 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. Before shooting, try touching the striker with your  fingernail, to be sure that its really on line. This will improve your accuracy and prevent you from hurting your finger.

Index finger           Middle finger            Scissors shot

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 nor may your elbow protrude over the frame in front of you. Even your feet of knees my not leave your quadrant.

Points to remember in carroms:

1.Dimension of the carrom board       : 75 into 75 cm

2.Width of the side battens           : 8 to 10 cm

3. Diameter of the pockets of the carrom board  : 4.5 cm

4. Colour of the carrom droughts       : 2 (Black & White )

5. NO.of white droughts in the carrom board  : 18

6. NO.of white droughts in the carrom board   ; 9

7. NO. of black droughts in the carrom board : 9

8. Name of the red drought                     : Queen

9. Diameter of Queen                           : 3 cm

10. Diameter of striker                       : 4 cm

The game is played on a board of lacquered plywood, normally with a 29 inch (74cm) square playing surface. The edges of the playing surface are bounded by bumpers of wood, and the bottom of the board is covered by a net with a 10 cm square of larger capacity. Instead of the balls of billiards games, carrom uses disks. The object of the game is to strike or flick with a finger a comparatively heavy of the game is to strike or flick with a finger a comparatively heavy disk called a striker such that it contacts lighter object disks called carrom-men and propels them into one of four corner pockets.

A square plywood board with a wooden board with a wooden border frame on all sides and netted pockets in each corner.

Plywood board the playing surface comprises of a square plywood board with screen printed lines and patterns, polished for a smooth low friction and hard wearing finish. The standard playing area is 74 cm into 74 cm i.e. 29 square. However, smaller sizes are suitable for children while larger ones are great if you are already familiar with the game and want a little bit more a large board is as exciting as a large 21 computer monitor.

Wooden frame boards come with different border frame widths, ranging from 1.25 (about 32 mm) to 3.00 (about 75 mm), with the thicker and heavier ones being more expensive and far better to  play on due to better rebound or cannon effect generated.

Corner pockets four pockets or holes, one in each corner of the board, with nets secured underneath to hold the pocketed carrom men or striker.

Bracing's wooden supports underneath the board'd surface, secured to both the plywood board and the border frame, to reinforce the playing surface and avoid any warping.

The origins of carrom as we know it are quite obscure. Believed to have originated hundreds of years ago, some believe it originated in India, while others link its origins to Portugal and even Burma. irrespective, carrom today is among the world's favorite indoor games, enjoyed among friends and families worldwide. Similar to billiards, marbles and air hockey in different ways, it is easy to understand, fun to play, and suitable for children and adults alike.

Despite being classified an indoor board game it is quite unique in itself-neither like dice games such as monopoly, nor like strategy games such as chess. In fact, it is much more, involving a combination of both physical and mental elements.

The advent of professional carrom tournaments over the past few decades and the formation of federations all over the western world has given rise to thousands of serious carrom players, thereby spreading its popularity even further.

Nevertheless, there is no doubt a long way to go before carrom becomes a household name, with millions of people worldwide who haven't even heard the name

Well, while the origin of the game of carrom itself might be obscure, the origin of this uncertainty is certainly thanks to our great american cousins, who prefer to simply spell words conveniently

The answer to this simple question is the same as that to color or color? jewellery or jewelry cheque or check? and many more. Thankfully, most dictionaries do acknowledge this fact, and show the two spellings as variants of each other.

Carrom or carroms is a family of tabletop games sharing a similarity in that their mechanics lie somewhere between billiards and table shuffleboard. The game has various other names around the world, including carrum, carum, carrum, karam, karom, karum, and Indian (or nepalese) finger billiards. It is also called fatta in Punjabi.

Nevertheless carrom is certainly the well accepted international spelling for the game, as adopted by the international carrom federation as well.