How to Play Aim Carrom for Beginners
The article teaches how to set up and play the Carrom board game.
Aim Carrom is a fun game like Pool or Shuffleboard, but you use your fingers and a special piece called a striker instead of cues. Two or four players can play it. It has different names worldwide, like carrom, couronne, and finger billiards.
Part (1) Setting Up the Board
Familiarize yourself with the symbols on the board
Play Carrom pool with your fingers. You use little pieces instead of balls and aim to get them into holes using a heavier piece called a striker. The Carrom board is big and wooden with special marks on it. It’s important to know what these marks mean before you start playing. Understanding the board is key to playing Carrom well.
The height of the Carrom board is 60-70 cm (23 to 28 inches).
Each of the four corners of the board has a circular hole, and underneath each hole is a net to hold the pieces. The board has two foul lines, and there are two concentric rings in the center of the board. The center ring is the same size as a playing piece and the main ring is six times bigger. The pieces are placed in these circles before the game commences.
On the other hand, there are rectangles on both sides of the board, and each player has their own rectangle, from which they have to shoot their strikers.
Learn the significance of carrom pieces
In Carrom, there are 9 pieces of black, 9 pieces of white, and 1 piece of red (sometimes called “the queen”). There are also two pieces called “striker pieces”. Each player in Carrom has 9 pieces, including the striker piece. The black pieces are held by one player, and the white pieces are held by the other. The pieces are sometimes called carrommen.
The black and white pieces are smooth wooden pieces that resemble checkers pieces. In every round, you use your striker to smash these pieces into the pockets of the board.
The red piece, known as the queen, can be pocketed anytime after you’ve sunk your first piece, similar to the black 8 ball in Billiards. Pocketing the queen adds 5 points to your score if you have less than 24 points. If you have more than 24 points, pocketing the queen doesn’t add any extra points.
Set the board up for play.
Start the game by placing the queen at the center of the board. Then, arrange six pieces in a circle around the queen, making sure each piece touches both the queen and the pieces next to it.
Start the game by placing the queen at the center of the board. Then, arrange six pieces in a circle around the queen, making sure each piece touches both the queen and the pieces next to it.
Both you and your opponent need to place your strikers inside the rectangular areas at each end of the board.
Place the remaining 12 pieces around the circle of six, ensuring each touches the inner circle. Alternate their colors, so you have a sequence of red, white, red, and so on, with the red queen in the center.
Part (2) Beginning the Game
Sit opposite from each other
In Carrom, you either play one-on-one or in teams, with players or teams sitting across from each other. Each player or team should be at opposite ends of the board, with their own rectangle to launch the striker from.
Practice gripping your striker
The striker is the heaviest piece you can hit to put your pieces in the pockets. If you’re just starting out, it’s best to practice hitting and gripping the striker a couple of times before you start playing. Don’t push the striker, just flick it. You can’t move your chair or leave your seat while using the striker. You’ll have to hit it from within the rectangle boundaries on your end. There are two basic grips to use when hitting the striker: The straight grip The scissors grip
The straight grip is the most popular one. It can be easier to use if you’re just starting out with carrom. Your hand is held palm side down, and your fingers are very lightly placed on the board. Your index finger would be placed right behind the piece, and you would make your shot with a flick of your finger. If you want more control, hold your striker between your thumbs and your third finger to place it before you flick it.
The scissors shot isn’t as popular as the shot above, but it may be more comfortable for you. You’ll put your hand on the board sideways, pressing your ring finger and pink finger against the board. Then, you’ll hold your index finger in front of your middle finger so that your pink finger and ring finger are at about the same angle. It’s a bit like holding scissors. When you release your middle finger from the index finger, it snaps forward and hits the striker.
Determine who goes first and have that player break the circle
In most games, the first player goes first by flipping a coin. However, there are no such rules in this game. If you don’t want to flip a coin, you can use rules from other board games such as “the oldest goes first” or “the tallest goes first.” Once you’ve decided which player goes first, they have to break the middle circle by taking their first shot with their striker.
It’s unlikely that any player will have a piece in their pocket on the first hole. But if they do, they’ll keep taking turns until they don’t have a piece.
You will always have to put your striker back into your rectangle before you can shoot again.
Take turns until you determine who pockets which colors
In a carrom game, you don’t know which pieces are black and which ones are white. It’s all decided during the game. The first player who puts a piece in their pocket immediately has to put pieces in that color in their pocket for the remainder of the game.
In carrom, the goal is to have all your pieces in your pocket before your opponent. You also want to have your red piece, also known as the queen, in your pocket.
The red piece or queen can’t be put in your pocket until you’ve put one of your colors in your pocket.
Completing the Game
Continue playing until the conclusion of the first round
A carrom round is over when one player has all their pieces in their pocket and the queen is in her pocket. The rounds are played until one player reaches 29 points. Whoever hits 29 points wins the round.
Note: You and your opponent alternate firing your striker. Your striker can only be fired from inside your rectangle boundary.
If you put a piece in your pocket, you can keep playing. You can take another shot at your striker. You can keep taking shots until you don’t put another piece in your pocket.
Follow rules regarding the queen
The queen, also known as the red piece, must be “pocketed” by the end of the round. A player can both “pocket” the queen and “cover” it. “Covering” the queen simply means that one player has “pocketed” the queen in accordance with the rules. In some cases, a player can pocket the queen without “covering” it and the queen will return to the board.
The queen cannot be put in your pocket until at least one of your pieces in your color is in your pocket. If you put your queen in your pocket before you put any pieces in your pocket, you have not put the queen in your pocket. The queen will return to the middle of the board.
If you put the queen in your pocket after putting one of your pieces in your pocket, you have covered the queen. The queen will not be put back on the board. You may get points for queen at the end of the round
Penalize players for fouls
Fouls are part of the carrom game. If you or your opponent fouls, you will be punished by having one of your color pieces return to the board. Some of the following situations can lead to a foul:
Picking up a striker by mistake is a foul. Knock your striker or other piece off the board is also a foul.
If you pocket your opponent’s piece, it’s a draw. Not only that, but you’ll also be penalized for pocketing your own piece. If you pocket and cover your queen before the game starts, your queen will also be put back on the board.
If you pocket your last piece before the queen is in your pocket, both the pocketed piece and the penalty piece go back to the board. In other words, two
If you come into contact with anything other than your striker, that is a penalty.
Continue playing a round until one player has pocketed all of his or her pieces
The first player to pocket their pieces wins the round, and is then awarded points. However, a round cannot end with the queen still on the board. The queen must have been pocketed and covered by one player for the round to conclude.
Score each round properly
To calculate your score, calculate the number of pieces your opponent has left on the board. Let’s say you have 5 pieces left on your opponent’s board.
An additional 5 point is added to your score if you pocketed the queen and covered it during the game, provided your score is less than 24. For example, if you had 5 points on your opponent’s pieces and you covered your queen, your score is 10 for the round.
As you keep winning rounds, the points accumulate. Once you get to 24, you don’t get the extra 5 points for queen coverage.
Complete the game
There are no limits to how many rounds you can play in a carrom game. You just play until you reach a certain number of points. After that, you subtract the points from each round until the total number of points reaches 29 or higher.
Example: You score 12 points in round 1. Your opponent wins round 2 by scoring 9 points. You score 12 points again in round 3, giving you 24 points.
In the 4th round, your rival wins and gets 5 points, which gives him or her 14 points. In the 5th round, you get 8 points, which gives you 32 points, which is more than the 29 points needed to win. You have won this round of carrom!
Frequently Asked Question
Conclusion
Carrom is an exciting board game that combines the strategy of billiards, but with the fun and charm of finger play. It can be played as a single or a pair, but the heart of the game is the skill of the striker, who aims to pocket his black and white pieces and the vital red queen, who holds the key to extra points.
To set up the board, you need to know its unique markings, how the carrommen arrange themselves, and the queen, which is at the core of the game. If you are a beginner who wants to learn the basics, or an experienced player who wants to fine-tune your strategy, you can improve your game with the help of straight and scissors grips.
As you alternate turns, trying to clear your pieces and cover your queen, the game develops in a sequence of strategic moves and counters. The joy of playing Carrom lies not only in the competition, but also in the shared moments of struggle and triumph, which is why it is loved all over the world.