The Game of Carrom – An Indoor Game

 

Most people know about the game of Carrom. Playing this game is fun. Many houses have Carrom Board at home. If not at home, even some schools have Carrom Board as indoor activities for children. There are many small clubs in every city or town. Even in villages they have formed clubs. In many club houses, apart from other indoor games, they also have a carrom board. It is not only the game of youngsters, even elders and seniors enjoy playing this game.

In a home, when children play there may be chance of disrupting this game when one loses. No results, some howling, shouting, some tears, all this rest in peace after sometime. Here, though we are speaking of playing this game with members of the family and friends, there are certain things to know about this game. In short we can know some details about his game.

About the Game of Carrom:

The game of Carrom originated in India. It became very popular among the masses after World War I. Gradually, people across the world organised tournaments to play this game.

To play this game we need:

Equipment:

The game is usually played on a square board made of plywood, with a pocket in each corner. The dimension of the standardised board is a 29 inches (74 cm) square playing surface. The edges are bounded by bumpers of wood, and the underside of each pocket is covered by a net. Even small size carrom boards are there. Some homes have it for their kids.

There are nine dark or black pieces and nine light or white pieces plus a red piece called the "Queen" and a Striker. The Striker is normally heavier than the other wooden pieces.  Chalk dust or talcum powder at home is used to make the pieces slide more easily over the surface of the board.

Arranging the Board:

The Queen is placed in the center circle. Around the queen, the red and white pieces are placed alternately to complete the first circle. The rest of the remaining black and white pieces are used to complete the next circle. Board is ready for the game.

Two players sit opposite to each other. The one, who starts the game, uses the Striker from one corner and targets the middle to break the circle formed. The one who strikes first gets the white pieces. One chance and if the coloured piece of the one who strikes enters a pocket, will get another turn. Or else it passes to opponent. Once the Queen is put into a pocket has to be covered by the piece of the colour the player is playing with or loses the Queen. Once a player finishes putting all the pieces of the same colour into the pockets, the game is over.

This is how a friendly game is played. As we are not talking about tournaments, we stick to this simple way it is played at home.

To play this game it needs a lot of time and patience. After all it’s a good way to spend some free time in engaging in a game like this.

Leisure time spent in some activity is the need of the hour.

© Gouri Guha 2021