RULES OF CROKINOLE, WITH VARIATIONS NOTED.

There are no official rules for crokinole - the game is governed by generally accepted custom, with many regional variations. The object is to accumulate more points than your opponent. The strategy used is to knock your opponent's discs into the gutter, while leaving your own on the board. Rules listed below are for 2, 3 or 4 players.

TWO PLAYERS.

  1. Opposing players sit opposite each other. The board is lined up so that each player is directly behind a quadrant (area between two adjacent radial lines that divide the board into quarters). The board may not be moved during a game. Variation: some rules stipulate that chairs shall not be moved during a game and that players must remain seated while shooting.
  2. To start a round, the first shooter places a white disc on the 5-point (outermost) circle within his quadrant & flicks it with one finger, the object being to land the disc in the center hole. Players alternate taking the first shot in each round. Variation: first shot must come to rest within the 15-point circle, or else it is removed before the next shot - this is so a player cannot lodge his first disc behind a peg where his opponent cannot hit it.
  3. The next player then shoots one disc from on, or behind, the 5-point circle within his quadrant. This disc must strike at least one of his opponent's discs, or else it is removed from the board before the next shot. If his opponent has no discs on the board, then the player may send his disc anywhere he likes. Variation : A player's shot may hit one or more of his own discs first, provided that one of them strikes an opponent's. If none of his discs strikes an opponent's disc, then all discs involved in the collision are removed from the board before the next shot. (Variation under Rule 2. may also apply to any shot when there are no opponent's discs on the board.)
  4. Players alternate shots, following Rule 3., until both have shot 12 discs, which ends a round.
  5. Discs are left on the board until the end of each round, except under the following circumstances.
    • Discs which settle into the 20-point hole are recorded, then removed from the board before the next shot. (To score a 20, the disc must lie flat, completely within the center hole.)
    • Any disc which ends up overhanging the edge of the playing surface is removed before the next shot. Variation: any discs which come to rest on, or outside, the 5-point circle are removed before the next shot.
    • Discs which bounce back into play after leaving the surface are removed before the next shot; however, any discs which they hit are left where they come to rest.
FOUR PLAYERS.
  1. Players form teams of two.
  2. Partners sit opposite each other & turns go clockwise around the board until all the discs are played, so that each player takes 6 shots per round.
THREE PLAYERS.
  1. One player plays against the other two. Partners sit opposite each other.
  2. Each "team" shoots one disc in turn, so that the single player shoots 12 per round, while each partner shoots 6.
SCORING
  1. Players agree on point total, or number of rounds, for completion of a game (for example, 100 points, or 4 rounds.)
  2. Point scores, including 20-point shots, are tallied up only at the end of each round. (This means that a match cannot end before the end of a round.)
  3. Points are assigned to each disc according to the region wherein the disc lies at the end of the round. (Inner ring = 15 points; middle ring = 10 points; outer ring = 5 points.)
  4. Discs which touch a boundary line between point zones are deemed to be in the lower point zone.
  5. The winner of the round scores the difference between his point total and that of his opponent, who gets 0 points. Variation: a simpler method counts one for the winner of a round & 0 for the loser.