About Carrom — 2 Player
Two players, one screen. Player 1 plays white and player 2 black; the board turns so whoever is striking has their baseline at the bottom. The break alternates from board to board.
Carrom is the flick-and-pocket board game loved across India and South Asia, here on a warm wooden board in your browser. Place your striker on your baseline, pull back, and flick it to knock your coins into the four corner pockets. You play white, your opponent plays black, and the red queen is worth a bonus if you pocket it and cover it. Play the computer at three levels, a friend on the same screen, or someone online, and try the daily challenge: clear the board in as few strikes as you can.
Also called: carrom board game, carrom online, carom, carrom board.
How to play Carrom
- Place the striker: drag it left or right along your baseline, the two lines at the bottom of the board. It can sit anywhere between the two circles, as long as it doesn't touch a coin.
- Aim and flick: press on the striker and pull back, towards yourself, like a slingshot. The striker will go the opposite way to your pull. A dotted line shows where it first touches a coin, and the further you pull the harder you strike (the power shows as a percentage). Let go to flick. You can also press anywhere below your baseline and pull from there.
- To call off a pull, slide back to the striker until the power reads 0, or press Escape.
- On a keyboard, ← and → move the striker along the baseline, A and D turn the aim (hold Shift for finer steps), and holding Space makes the power swing up and down: let go to strike.
- Pocket one of your own coins and you strike again. The strip above the board shows both players' points, how many of their 9 coins are in, the board number and where the queen is.
- Win the board by pocketing all 9 of your coins once the queen has been covered. The first to 25 points wins the match.
Rules
- Coins: 9 white, 9 black and one red queen start in a rosette in the centre. Player 1 (you, against the computer) plays white and strikes from the bottom; player 2 plays black and strikes from the top. The break alternates from board to board, and player 1 breaks the first board.
- Turns: pocket at least one of your own coins and you strike again. Pocket nothing, or only your opponent's coins, and the turn passes. Your opponent's coins stay in the pockets and count for them.
- The queen can only be pocketed once you have pocketed one of your own coins, earlier or on the same strike. Pocket it too soon and it goes back to the centre. After you pocket it you get another strike, and you must cover it: pocket one of your own coins on the same strike or the very next one. If you don't, the queen goes back to the centre and your turn ends.
- Fouls: pocketing the striker is a foul. One of your pocketed coins comes back to the centre (a coin you sank on that strike first), along with a queen you just pocketed or hadn't covered yet, and your turn ends.
- The last coin: you can't finish while the queen is uncovered. Pocket your own last coin before the queen is covered and that coin goes back to the centre, as a foul. Pocketing your opponent's last coin is a foul too, and it goes back.
- Winning a board: pocket all 9 of your coins with the queen covered (by either player). You score 1 point for every opponent coin still on the board, plus 3 if you were the one who covered the queen. The loser of a board scores nothing.
- The match: the first to 25 points wins. If nobody gets there, the leader after 8 boards wins; if the scores are level after 8 boards, boards go on until someone leads.
- Coins returned to the board are placed on the centre spot, or the nearest free spot around it.
Carrom tips and strategy
- Take the easy coins first. Every coin you pocket earns another strike, so a run of simple cuts near the pockets is worth more than one spectacular shot.
- Go for the queen early. Once you have one coin in, the queen is open to you, and covering it is worth 3 points. Line up a coin of your own you can pocket straight after, so the cover is easy.
- Don't pocket your opponent's coins. They count for them, not you, and they bring your opponent closer to winning the board.
- Use the cushions. A coin resting against a cushion near a pocket goes in if you hit it so it runs along the cushion. A coin close to a pocket needs only a gentle tap.
- Mind the striker. Hard shots towards a corner can send the striker in after the coin. Hit a little softer, or at an angle that sends the striker off a cushion.
- Points come from your opponent's coins still on the board, so a fast finish while they have plenty left scores big.
Carrom questions
How strong is the computer?
Easy tries only a few shots, often settles for a poor one and has a shaky hand, so it is good for learning; on Easy you also see a short ghost of where the hit coin will go. Normal looks at more shots, aims better and thinks about its next strike. Hard tries many shots, checks its best ones still work if its hand is slightly off, and aims almost exactly. Changing the level in the middle of a match starts a new match.
Can two people play on one device?
Yes: choose Same screen. Player 1 plays white and player 2 plays black, and the board turns round so whoever is striking always has their baseline at the bottom. Wins for each player are counted.
How do I play carrom online with a friend?
Open the Online tab and send a link or a six-character code, or use quick match to play whoever is waiting. You always strike from the bottom of your screen. Every strike is replayed on the server with the same physics, so both of you see exactly the same flick. You can pick a clock (3+2, 5+0, 10+0 or 15+10: minutes each, plus seconds added after every strike) or play with no clock; your clock runs on your turn, and if it reaches zero you lose. A rematch starts a new match. Free, with no account needed.
Are online games rated?
Quick match is always rated, and an invite is when you tick Rated. Carrom has its own rating, starting at 1500; a question mark next to it means it is still settling over your first games. A game counts once each player has made at least two strikes.
How does the daily carrom challenge work?
Every day everyone gets the same board: nine coins (the queen, four white and four black) scattered across it. Every coin counts, and you always strike from the bottom. Clear the board in as few strikes as you can; pocketing the striker adds a penalty strike. You get one attempt a day (a reload carries on where you were), and if the board isn't clear after 60 strikes, that day is over. Your strike count goes on the daily leaderboard, where fewer is better. A new board arrives at 00:00 UTC.
Why did my coin come back out?
Either you pocketed the striker on that strike (a foul: one of your coins returns), or it was your last coin and the queen wasn't covered yet, or it was your opponent's last coin. The queen also comes back if it isn't covered on the same strike or the next one.
Is my match saved?
Yes, in your browser. A match against the computer or on the same screen is saved after every strike, so a reload carries on from where you were. Your wins and losses against each computer level are kept too.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. In portrait the board fills the width of the screen. Drag the striker along your line with a finger, then pull back from it and let go. The page doesn't scroll while your finger is on the board.
Is Carrom free to play?
Yes. Carrom on Kultured Arcade is completely free: no download, no account and nothing to buy. It runs in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer.
Do I need to download Carrom?
No. It opens instantly in your browser and saves your progress on your device, so there is nothing to install and no sign-up.