Carrom is a family of tableboard games with gameplay that lies somewhere between billiards and table shuffleboard. Carrom is known by many names around the world and the formal rules for the game were not published until 1988.
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.
INTRODUCTION ABOUT "CARROM"
The game of carrom is played in India since 18th century. Although no concrete evidence is available, it originated from India. Maharajas were playing this game in their palaces. One Carrom Board with its surface made of glass is still available in one of the palaces in Patiala. It became very popular among the masses particularly after the 1st World War. State level competitions were being held in different States of India during early part of the nineteenth century. Once treated to be a pastime game, carom is now being played by about 20 million people in India alone. It is widely played in the Indian sub-continent. Like Badminton, Polo and Hockey, little known in the West earlier, carrom is now poised to have massive presence in the West. It is increasingly becoming popular all over the world and is played in about 50 countries. At international level this game is controlled and supervised by the International Carrom Federation and respective continental Federations.
Few Japanese players played the game of carrom at Antarctica. A record created by USA players in carrom has been included in the Guineas Book of Records. International carrom players were honoured in the Palace of Westminister, House of Commons, U.K. Indian world champions were honoured by Her Excellency, President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil in the President House. They were also honoured in Parliament House by Mr. Jai Parkash Agarwal, Member of Parliament. His Excellency, President of Republic of Maldives, Mr. Maumoon Abul Gayoom is the Patron-in-Chief of the Asian Carrom Confederation. One of the carrom players, A. Maria Irudayam, was conferred with most prestigious Indian National Sports Award (Arjuna Award) in 1997 by His Excellency, President of India, Mr. K.R. Narayanan.
It requires thorough knowledge of angles, deftness of touch, keen sight and superlative control of nerves besides mental and physical fitness. It also requires skill and deep concentration.
The All India Carrom Federation controls this game in India.Forty-eight affiliated units (30 State Associations and 18 Institutions) are supervising carrom activities in India through hundreds of District Associations and their office network in case of Institutions. The Federation has already organised 117 national championships and hundreds of other tournaments.
This game is also recognized by few State Governments for admissions under sports in different degree courses including medicines and engineering. The School Games Federation of India recognized it in 1996. The Indian Olympic Association has also recognized this game.
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Interesting video don't miss /ignore those
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Equipment:-
In India and Pakistan, the game is played on a board made of plywood. The dimensions of the standardised Indian 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.
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.
>>>>Carrom Board
The different features of a carrom board are as follows--------
- 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 x 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.
- Bracings :----- Wooden supports underneath the board's surface, secured to both the plywood board and the border frame, to reinforce the playing surface and avoid any warping.
>>>>Carrommen
The Carromman, circular in shape shall be of good quality wood. The diameter of a Carromman shall be 3.02cm & not more than 3.18cm with thickness of 0.70cm and not more than 0.90cm and weight shall not be less than 5.25 grams and not more than 5.50 grams. There shall be nine Whites, nine Blacks and one Red of Carromman of uniform prescriptions.
>>>>Striker
The striker, shall be smooth and round with a diameter of not more than 4.13cm and not exceeding 15 grams in weight.
>>>>Stool or Chair
The stool or armless chair on which player sits shall be between 40.00cm & 50.00cms in height.
>>>>Stand
The stand on which the carromboard is placed for the play shall be at a height of 63.00cm & not more than 70.00cm.
>>>>Light
The light (transparent, white Bulb of 100 watts) shall be hung at a convenient height above the center position of the Carrom Board so that when conical or square shade is used the light shall fall only on the Carrom Board including the frames.
>>>> Powder
Carrom powder is sprinkled on the board's surface to reduce friction, thereby enabling smoother and faster play.
Broadly speaking, there are two basic types of carrom powder. The traditional commonly available powder is boric acid based, and works quite well. However, some stores now offer a new type of super fine powder (usually available in small plastic bottles), which is non-toxic and performs brilliantly. Since a very small quantity of the latter needs to be applied each time, it is actually cost effective and less messy!
For optimum performance and longer life of your board, spray a VERY small quantity of super fine powder before each game, and never use two different types of powders simultaneously. If you wish to switch from one kind of powder to another, lightly wipe off the old powder with a soft cloth completely before using the new powder.
How to Play The Game?
From the operational angle, Carrom does not call elaborate preparation. A game of singles can straightaway start with two players, sitting opposite to each other. A spin of coin settles as to who should have the first break. The Carrommen should be arranged in a flat position, with the queen occupying center circle, and the rest of the Carromman so placed around the queen in the first row, keeping white & black Carrommen alternately. All the Carrommen, so placed, as above shall be arranged in a compact round, touching one another within the outer circle. The opener shall have white Carrommen to strike, while his opponent black to dispense with.
In doubles, four persons comprising two teams, sit opposite to each other, occupying all the four sides. At the end of each board, a player gets one point for each carrommen of the opponent left on the board and 3 points for the Queen if already pocketed and covered by him. The loser does not get points for Queen even he/she has pocketed and covered the Queen. The player who thus reaches 25 points first wins the game
Rules and Laws:-
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 a coin. The object of the game of carrom is to sink all of your carrommen, 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.
correct striker placement
incorrect striker placement
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 or knees my not leave your quadrant.
Incorrect Arm Position
The red 'queen,' can be pocketed at any time after sinking your first piece but must be sunk before your last one. After pocketing the queen, you must sink one of your carrommen, thereby 'covering' it, into any pocket in the next shot, or she is returned to the center spot.
Once the queen is covered, whoever clears all their carrom men first wins the 'board'.
The winner of a board collects one point for each of the opponent's carrom men left at the finish and three points for the queen if covered by the winner (if covered by the loser, no-one gets those points). No more points are collected for the queen after your score reaches 22.
A game consists of 25 points or eight boards, whichever comes first.
Sinking the striker costs you one piece and your turn. But, if you sink a piece in the same shot, then two come up and you shoot again.
After sinking the striker, your opponent places the due piece(s) within the center circle. If you haven't sunk one yet, you owe one.
If while shooting for the quee,n you also sink one of your carrom men in the same shot, the queen is automatically covered, no matter which went first.
If a piece jumps off the board, it is placed on the center spot. If pieces land on end or are overlapping, they are left that way.
If the center spot is partially covered when replacing the queen or a jumped piece, the piece should cover as much red as possible. If totally covered, the piece is placed opposite the next player behind the red spot.
If you sink your opponent's piece, you lose your turn. If you sink their last piece, you lose the board and three points.
If you sink your last piece before the queen, you lose the board, three points and one point for each of your opponent's pieces left.
If the striker does not leave both lines, go again. You get three tries to break before losing your turn.
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. Carrom men of black colour are assigned 1 point and white colour are assigned 2 points. The red queen is assigned 5 points. Pocketing the queen must be followed by pocketing another carrom man on the same or subsequent strike. The first player to reach 17 points is declared the winner. If no player reaches 17 points, the player with the highest points is declared the winner. If the scores are tied, a tie-breaker must be played. Players who are tied (in points) select a colour. They are allowed to pocket carrom men of an alternate colour only on rebound.
Total point carrom:-
Total point carrom is a variant of point carrom, in which the black carrom men are worth 5 points and the white ones are worth 10 points. The red queen is assigned 50 points and must have a subsequent carrom men pocketed after it. To win, a player must receive all the carrom men on the board. After the first round the player or team with the lowest score puts all their carrom men in the center. The others must match this score in the center and the players play for the carrom men in the center. They repeat this until one team or player has all the carrom men. This style of play is widely accepted in many areas of south Asia.
Men National Champion
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| A. Maria Irudayam (Indian Airlines) has won NINE Men's Singles titles of Senior National & Inter-State Championships including a hat-trick in 1981, 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998 and 1999. In fact, he won four titles in a row in 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1992. Maria broke the earlier record held by Suhas Kambli (Maharashtra) since 1979 when he won his sixth national title in 1992 at Faridabad. Suhas Kambli had won five national titles. | |||||||
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| P. Nirmala (LIC) has won SIX Women's Singles titles of Senior National & Inter-State Championships including a hat-trick in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2006. On winning her fifth national title, Nirmala broke the earlier record of winning maximum national titles held by Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Somanchi (Delhi) since 1982. Mrs. V. Somanchi had won four women national titles. | |||||||
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| P. Appa Rao (Andhra), A. Maria Irudayam (IA) and R. Sharmila (IAAD) have scored hat tricks of Singles titles in Senior National Championships. P.Appa Rao won Men's Singles National titles in 1956, 1958 and 1959; A. Maria Irudayam won Men's Singles titles in 1987, 1989 and 1991 while R. Sharmila won Women's Singles National titles in 1998, 1999 and 2000. G. Revathy (Tamil Nadu) scored a hat trick of Girls' Singles titles in Junior National Championships and Anuraju (Hyderabad) scored a hat trick of Girls' Singles titles in Sub-Junior National Championships. | |||||||
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| Seventy Slams (53 white and 17 black) were scored in the Senior National & Inter-State Carrom Championship held at Nagpur in 1999. | |||||||
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| M. Nataraj (Indian Airlines) scored 9 Slams (7 White and 2 Black) in the Inter-Institution National Championship held at Thiruvananthapuram in 1998. | |||||||
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| Dilesh Khedekar (IAAD) scored 4 Slams (3 White and 1 Black) in the Senior National Championship held at Pune in January 2006. | |||||||
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| M. Nataraj (Indian Airlines) scored a Slam each in every round (from 1 st round to Final) of the Inter-Institution National Championship held at Thiruvananthapuram in 1998. | |||||||
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| 32 Slams were scored in the 2 nd US Open International Carrom Tournament held at Atlantic City, USA during October 2003. | |||||||
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| Three players scored seven Slams each in international tournaments. Nagsen Etambe (India) scored 7 slams (4 white and 3 black) in ICF Tournament held in UK in 1997, Mahender Tambe and D. Kubendra Babu of India scored 7 Slams (6 white and 1 black) each in the 2 nd US Open International Carrom Tournament held at Atlantic City, USA during October 2003. | |||||||
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| Nagsen Etambe (India - Banks' Sports Board) has won maximum (7) international titles for India - Three ICF Cup Tournaments in 1989, 1993 &1997; Two SAARC Countries Championships in 1997 & 2000; One US Open in 1996 and UAE Open in 1990. | |||||||
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Mukteshwari Sharan of Bihar could not make a single stroke in a properly completed game of 29 points of a match played between the teams of Bihar and Maharashtra of Senior National Championship held at Bangalore during 1980. Maharashtra player, playing on the right side of Sharan had the first break of the match and scored a white slam. Other three players did not get chance to play. Then Sharan's partner made the break but could not finish it and the other Maharashtra player scored the black slam. Then it was a chance for the second Maharashtra player to make the break. He scored a white slam. Sharan merely watched helplessly finishing the game without even putting a striker on the carrom board. Yes, it can happen in carrom.
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A Japanese carrom:-
Carrom was introduced to Japan in the last years of the Meiji period or TaishÅ period by someone from India and in the early.
In popular culture:-
In 2010 a Hindi "Bollywood" film titled Striker was released. The movie focuses on carrom hustlers in Mumbai in the 1980s.
The Hindi film Ankush showed ability of carrom in helping four unemployed youth 'escape' painful realities of life.
A Tamil film called Vilayaada Vaa released in 2012 was also focussed on carrom board.
