Do You Know These Facts about Origin of Carrom

Several modern board games often capture our eyes for a while. But when it comes to a board game such as Carrom, it is a game that remains a favorite board game for every generation for over a thousand years. Let us know some of the Carrom origins-related facts here.

Like many other classic games such as chess, checkers, and so on, Carrom originated thousands of years ago. As a result, most people don’t have any idea about its actual origin. Many experts believe that it was developed in ancient Egypt or India. Whatever the source is, Carrom remains a favorite board game for many cultures.

The Origin of Carrom

Over the years, Carrom has gained popularity all over the World. It is mainly played and famous in various South and South-East Asian countries, especially in the different parts of India. In the late 90s, the board game became so renowned that many countries organized national tournaments in Carrom.

Initially, Carrom became famous in many western countries globally, especially in Europe, and later it became a renowned board in the United States of America. Currently, Carrom has a lot of international standards, which every player needs to follow. Many carrom organizations are being popped up throughout the World to promote this board game even further.

Some Interesting Facts about Carrom Origin 

  1. The Carrom was believed to be originated in India. Did you know? There is one such palace in Patiala, India where you can still find a carrom board made on the glass surface of the palace.
  2. After World War I, Carrom became trendy all over the World. The International Carrom Federation was established in the year 1988.
  3. Slowly the game became very famous all over Europe, especially in the UK. In the year 1991, the United Kingdom Carrom Federation was established.
  4. Even today, most of the carrom board is imported from India to all over the World. The expensive carrom boards are made of high-quality wood and designs.
  5. Some of the renowned exporters of carrom boards have their headquarter in India, such as Precise, Surco, Paul Traders, Syndicate Sports, etc.

Equipments Used in Carrom

Carrom originated in the ancient period. Even though currently, there are many variations available all over the World, Carrom is usually played on a square wooden board, having holes in each corner of it.

The dimension of a conventional carrom board is 29 inches. The board has covers of wood that enclose the edges of the carrom board, and a net covers the underneath of each hole.

There are a total of 18 pieces present in a carrom board. In these 19 pieces, nine are black, and another nine are white pieces, along with one red piece known as Queen. The black and white pieces are slightly smaller in size than the Striker.

 Carrom Game Rules

While there are many western variations of Carrom, where you can use cue sticks to play Carrom like the pool, the International Standard for Carrom has some set of rules which are followed in all professional carrom games. The law says you need to use your fingers only to play Carrom.

The official rules to play a Carrom game are mentioned below.

  1. Each player needs to sit on the opposite side of the board. The player has the white side that needs to go first. The game follows a similar pattern to the pool, where the game’s objective is to sink all the carrom pieces into a hole.
  2. Players use a slightly oversized and heavy piece called “Striker,” and they need to use it to strike the pieces into one of the four pockets with the help of their fingers only.
  3. The red centerpiece known as Queen is worth a bonus point if any player can sing that into a pocket and make them eligible to cover the Queen.
  4. If any player sinks the striker, then one piece and turn are lost. If the striker goes into the pocket after a piece, then two pieces need to come out in the center circle, but in this case, the turn is not lost.
  5. If a player sinks any piece of the opponent, then one of their turns will be lost. If a player drops the opponent’s last piece, then the player will lose three points and the game.
  6. If you sink your last piece before sinking the queen, then you will lose three points along with one point for every opponent’s piece remaining on the board.

So, as you can see in a game of Carrom, the Queen usually rules the game, and sinking it in the incorrect order can have unfavorable outcomes!

Final Note

So, we hope you get to know some exciting carrom origin facts along with some essential rules. Carrom is a board game that is a fun game to play with anyone, whether with family or friends because it is straightforward to learn the rules of Carrom and very entertaining at the same time. There are even benefits of playing games online.