Crokinole is played on a round wooden board with a sunken hole in the centre. Players take turns flicking discs toward the middle, trying to score high while knocking their opponent's discs off the board.
The crokinole board
- 20-hole - the centre hole. Discs that drop in are removed and score 20 immediately.
- 15 zone - the inner circle, guarded by eight rubber-covered pegs.
- 10 zone - the middle ring.
- 5 zone - the outer ring, divided into quarters. Your shooting line is the outer edge of your quarter.
- The ditch - the gutter around the board. Discs knocked here are out of play.
Taking a shot
Place your disc on your shooting line, touching it, and flick it with a finger. Players alternate shots. Key rules:
- If an opponent's disc is on the board, your shot must hit one of them, directly or by knocking into another disc. If it does not, your shot disc - and any of your own discs it touched - is removed to the ditch.
- If there are no opponent discs on the board, your shot must finish inside the 15 zone, or it is removed. Under most rules a disc touching the 15 line counts.
- Discs that leave the playing surface, or finish only partly over the shooting line, are removed.
Scoring a round
After all discs are shot, each player totals their score: 20s already removed, plus discs in the 15, 10 and 5 zones. Discs touching a line score the lower value. Only the difference counts - if you scored 65 and your opponent scored 40, you earn 25 points for the round and they earn none.
A common format is to play to 100 points. Many clubs and tournaments instead play a fixed number of rounds and award points for round wins.
Doubles crokinole
With four players, partners sit opposite each other and each player shoots 6 discs. Partners combine their scores for each round. Communication about shot plans is part of the strategy.
How to get better at crokinole
- Practise the open 20. Shooting into the centre hole on an empty board is the foundation of the game.
- Learn to "hit and stick". Remove an opponent's disc while your shooter stays on the board.
- Use the pegs. Discs tucked behind a peg are hard to hit and force your opponent into risky shots.
- Keep your hand still. Rest your wrist on the board and move only your finger for consistency.
- Think a shot ahead. Do not leave your discs where one shot can take out two of them.
