Carrom is a fun tabletop game that can be played by two or four players. Here's a basic guide on how to play caroms:
How to Play Caroms
Equipment:
- Carrom Board: A square wooden board with four pockets in the corners.
- Striker: A larger disc used to strike the carrom men.
- Carrom Men: Nine white, nine black, and one red carrom men (pieces).
Objective:
The objective of caroms is to pocket all your carrom men (either white or black) and the red queen before your opponent does.
Setup:
- Place the carrom board on a stable surface.
- Arrange the carrom men in a specific pattern on the board:
- Arrange the white carrom men in the shape of a Y in the center.
- Place the red carrom man (queen) at the center of the board.
- Position the black carrom men around the red queen in a circular formation.
Rules:
- Striking: Players take turns to strike the striker to hit their carrom men into the pockets.
- Pocketing:
- A player's turn continues as long as they pocket a carrom man.
- If a player pockets their own carrom man, they continue their turn.
- Pocketing the opponent's carrom man ends the player's turn.
- Red Queen: The red carrom man (queen) must be pocketed after pocketing at least one of your own carrom men; otherwise, it's returned to the center.
- Winning:
- The first player to pocket all their carrom men and the red queen wins the board.