Carrom

Not to be confused with Carom (disambiguation).
A Carrom Board

Carrom (also known as Karrom) is a "strike and pocket" table game of Eastern origin similar to billiards and table shuffleboard. It is found throughout the East under different names though most non-eastern people know it by the East Asian name of Carroms (or Karrom). It is very popular in Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and surrounding areas and in the Middle East as well. In South Asia, many clubs and cafés hold regular tournaments. Carrom is very commonly played by families, including the children, and at social functions. Different standards and rules exist in different areas.

Origins

The game of carrom is believed to have originated from the Indian subcontinent. Although no concrete evidence is available, it is believed that carrom was invented by the Indian Maharajas. One Carrom Board with its surface made of glass is still available in one of the palaces in Patiala, India.[1] It became very popular among the masses after World War I. State level competitions were being held in different States of India during early part of the nineteenth century. Serious carrom tournaments may have begun in Sri Lanka in 1935 but by 1958, both India and Sri Lanka had formed official federations of carrom clubs, sponsoring tournaments and awarding prizes.[2]

The International Carrom Federation[3][4] (ICF) was formed in the year 1988 in the city of Chennai, India. The formal rules for the Indian version of the game were published in 1988. In the same year the ICF officially codified the rules. The game has been very popular throughout South Asia, mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It has gained some popularity in Europe and the United States where it has been introduced by the Indian diaspora. The United States Carrom Association reports on competitions in the U.S. and Canada and has a player ranking list as of the last tournament.[5]

The board and pieces can be bought in Europe or the U.S. and are usually imported from India. The most expensive boards are made to a high standard with high quality wood and decorations though cheaper boards are available. Some of the largest exporters of carrom boards are in India, e.g. Precise, Surco, Syndicate Sports and Paul Traders.[6][7][8][9][10]

Objective of play

The objective of play is to use a striker disk with a flick of the finger to make contact with and move lighter object disks called carrom men, which are thus propelled into one of four corner pockets.

The aim of the game is to pot (or pocket) one's nine carrom men and the Queen before your opponent.

Equipment

The game is usually played on a board made of plywood. The dimensions of the standardised game is a 29 inches (74 cm) square playing surface on a board of lacquered plywood. The edges of the playing surface are bounded by bumpers of wood, and the underside of each pocket is covered by a net which is 10 cm2 or larger.[11]

Carrom men

Carrom men and two strikers, arranged at the start of a game

Carrom is played using small disks of Wood or Plastic known as carrom men, sometimes abbreviated c/m. The pieces are also known as seed, coin or Pawnpuck. Carrom men are designed to slide when struck and are made with a smooth surface that allows contact with the board when the pieces are laid flat. They are struck by a Striker of standard specification which is larger and heavier. Carrom follows similar "strike and pocket" games, like pool, with its use of rebounds, angles and obstruction of opponent's pieces.

A carrom set contains 19 pieces (striker not included) in three distinct colours. Two colours to represent the player's pieces and one colour for the Queen. The usual colours are white (or unstained) and black for the player's and red for the queen.

ICF approved pieces must have a diameter of no more than 3.18 cm and no less than 3.02 cm. The pieces must be at least 7 mm and at most 9 mm thick. The pieces have a plain, rounded edge. The mass of the pieces is within 5 g and 5.5 g.

Strikers

Striker pieces are used to push the carrom men and the queen across the board to the pockets.

The Queen

The queen

The red disk is called the queen. The queen is the most powerful carrom piece. During board setup, it is placed at the centre of the circle. In accordance with the ICF rules, pocketing the queen adds 3 points to the player's total score. The dimensions of the queen must be the same as those of other carrom men.[12]

Powder

Fine-grained powder is used on the board to enable the pieces to slide easily. Boric acid powder is the most commonly used for this purpose.[13][14] Boric acid has recently been reclassified by the EU as 'Toxic for reproduction'.

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 micrometres in diameter. The powder is made from pure, food-grade vegetable starch.

Standardised rules and regulations

The ICF promulgates International Rules of Carrom (also termed "The Laws of Carrom"). ICF acts as the governing body of carrom. The organisation also ranks players, sanctions tournaments and presents awards. ICF has many national affiliates such as the All-India Carrom Federation, Australian Carrom Federation, and United States Carrom Association.

The toss

Order of play is determined by the process of "calling the carrom men" or "the toss". Before commencing each match, an umpire hides one black carrom in one hand and one white carrom man in the other hand. The players guess which colour carrom men is being held in each hand. The player who guesses correctly wins the toss.

The winner of the toss strikes first, which is called the opening break. The winner of the toss has the option to change sides from white to black and give up the opening break. The winner of the toss may not pass this decision to the other player. If the winner of the toss chooses to change sides then the loser must strike first.

The player taking the first shot (or break) gets to play white carrom men. The opponent plays black.

Shooting

The aim of the game is to pot (or pocket) one's nine carrom men and the queen before your opponent does. A successful pot entitles the player to shoot again. This means that, like pool and snooker, a player may pot all his pieces and cover the queen from the start of the game without the opponent being given the chance to shoot.

Any player pocketing the queen is required to cover it by immediately pocketing one of their carrom man on the entitlement shot. If after potting the queen the player fails to cover it then the queen is returned to the center of the table. It is illegal to pot the Queen after the last piece since the queen must always be covered.

Thumbing is allowed by International Carrom Federation which allows the player to shoot with any finger including the thumb (known as "thumbing" or a "thumb shot" or a "thumb hit").

Crossing the diagonal lines on the board by coming in touch with it, or pocketing the striker is a foul. A player needs to ensure that his striking hand does not infringe/cross the diagonal lines aerially/physically. A player committing a foul must return one carrom man that was already pocketed.

If a player pockets his striker, he has to pay a penalty. This penalty is usually 10 points.

Variants

Family-Point Carrom

Simple-Point Carrom (Family-Point Carrom) is a variant that is very popular with the young and old, or when playing with an odd number of players. Players are allowed to pocket carrom men of any colour. A majority of people play by the following simple rules:

Point Carrom

Point Carrom is a variant that is popular with children or an odd number of players. Game play is as described above with a variation. Players are allowed to pocket carrom men of any colour.

Total-Point Carrom

Professional Carrom

Duboo

A popular variant of the game called Duboo is played mostly in Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan. In dubbo the size of the board is bigger than carrom, and instead of flicking the striker people usually slide it.

Board variations

Carrom boards are available in various board sizes and corner pocket sizes. There are smaller boards and boards with larger pockets. Boards with larger pockets are used by beginners for easier game play. On traditional carrom boards, the corner pockets are only slightly larger than the carrom men, but smaller than the striker. On boards with larger pockets, it is possible to pocket the striker, resulting in a "scratch shot" as in Pool. This results in a "due." On a "due", the player has to return one previously pocketed carrom man to the board. When the scores are tied at a point in the carrom game, a tie-breaker is played. The team which has pocketed the "queen" does not gain any advantage. The Standardised Association and Federation size is 29" x 29" Play Surface with borders between 2" each to 4" each. Other play areas are not used in Tournaments and Competitions.

A relatively rare series of makes among Western Carrom boards contains a variant referred to colloquially as a "Carrom maze" on the reverse, in which an entirely different game is played. The oblique side of the board is fashioned into a labyrinth via the addition of small plywood "walls" that restrict the carrom to defined paths; the objective becomes to traverse the maze with a single carrom and reach a region designated as the end of the maze successfully in the least amount of strokes (similarly to golf), or to be the first to finish the maze among competitors. Various regions within the maze, often found in "traps" or sharp corners and differently colored or designated via artwork, contain regions in which the player's carrom must not be caught when coming to rest, at risk of penalty of extra strokes or forced relocation of the player's carrom to an earlier position. Positive or bonus regions, usually small and hard to target, may offer "shortcuts" relocating to a region nearer the goal, or stroke count reduction. In solo play, course records may be kept for public tables.

Japanese carrom

Carrom was introduced to Japan in the early 20th century. Carrom became popular as tokyu-ban ("fight ball board" or "throw ball board") and it fell in popularity in the Showa period. However, carrom is still popular in Hikone, Shiga.

In popular culture

See also

References

  1. ↑ "All India Carrom Federation". Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Carrom.org". Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "International Carrom Federation". December 2001. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "International Carrom Federation - Media Commission". 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  5. ↑ "United States Carrom Association". 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "Precise Sports". Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "SuriSports.com". Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "Syndicate Sports". Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  9. ↑ "Paul Traders carrom boards". IndiaMart.com. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  10. ↑ "Carrom Board Manufacturer List". Carrom Shop. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  11. ↑ "Nets". International Carrom Federation. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
  12. ↑ "The queen". Punjabi State Carrom Association. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
  13. ↑ Düzcükoğlu, H.; Acaroğlu, M. (2009). "Lubrication Properties of Vegetable Oils Combined with Boric Acid and Determination of Their Effects on Wear". Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects 32 (3): 275–285. doi:10.1080/15567030802606053.
  14. ↑ "Boric acid". Tata Chemicals. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
  15. 1 2 "The Game: How to Play". International Carrom Federation. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  16. ↑ Shabana Ansari, TNN. "Munnabhai flicks a strike for carrom". Times of India.

External links

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