How to Play Caroms: A Beginner’s Guide

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:

1. Carrom Board: A square wooden board with four pockets in the corners.
2. Striker: A larger disc used to strike the carrom men.
3. 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:

1. Place the carrom board on a stable surface.
2. 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:

1. Striking: Players take turns to strike the striker to hit their carrom men into the pockets.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Winning:
   • The first player to pocket all their carrom men and the red queen wins the board.