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Outdoor & pub games

Crokinole

Flick your discs towards the centre of a round board, knocking your opponent's discs away, to post the best score in each round.

players
2–4
minutes
30
variants
2

You’ll need the game box. Marquoir sums up the rules and keeps score.

Never played? Aim of the game and full rulesStep by step, with examples, for a first game.

Setup

  • The board is round: a centre hole worth 20, the ring around it worth 15, then, beyond the circle of pegs, a ring worth 10 and an outer zone worth 5, surrounded by a ditch.
  • In singles, the two players sit facing each other, each with 8 discs of their colour.
  • In doubles, partners sit facing each other and play the same colour, with 6 discs each.
  • The order of play, colours and seats are decided by chance.

How to play

  • Players take turns clockwise, and each must make a valid shot.
  • The disc starts flat and still, touching the outer starting line of your quarter of the board. You strike it with one or more fingers, with no aid of any kind.
  • While shooting, nothing but your shooting hand, wrist and forearm may be in contact with the board or the table; you stay seated, moving neither your chair nor the board.
  • Valid shot: if opposing discs are in play, one of your discs must hit one, directly or by pushing one of your own discs into it. If there are none, the shot must leave the shot disc, or a disc it struck, on the 15 line or closer to the centre.
  • Invalid shot: the shot disc and every disc it hit are removed from play and don't count, even if they had dropped into the hole.
  • A disc that drops into the centre hole is removed at once and set aside where everyone can see it: it will count 20 at the end of the round.
  • A disc that touches or crosses the outer boundary of the board is out of play: it goes into the ditch until the end of the round.

Scoring

  • When all the discs have been played, count before touching anything: 15, 10 or 5 depending on the zone each disc rests in, plus 20 per disc set aside.
  • A disc touching a line is worth the lower of the two neighbouring zones. A 20 only counts if the disc sits fully inside the hole, flat.
  • The best total of the round earns 2 points; in case of a tie, each side earns 1 point.
  • In Marquoir, enter each side's round points: 2, 1 or 0.

End of the game

  • A game is played over four rounds.
  • In singles, players take turns starting from one round to the next; in doubles, the duty to start moves to the next player clockwise.
  • After four rounds, the most points wins. The number of games in a match is set by the tournament rules.

House rules and pitfalls

  • Disc that comes back: a disc that touches the outer boundary but rolls back onto the surface on its own, without hitting anything, stays in play.
  • A disc that hits the backboard or an out-of-play disc before coming back is out of play, but any discs it moved stay where they are, and a 20 made this way counts.
  • Discs glide thanks to granular wax put in the ditch: you rub your disc in it before shooting.
never played?Aim of the game and full rules8 chapters · about 3 min read

Object of the game

Crokinole is played on a round board, with discs you send off with a flick. The closer a disc stops to the centre, the more it scores, up to 20 points if it drops into the centre hole. But as long as your opponent has discs on the board, every shot must hit one. The best score in a round earns 2 points, and a game is played over four rounds.

The board

From the outside towards the centre, you find:

  • a ditch, where discs that go out land;
  • the 5-point zone;
  • the 10-point zone, up to the circle of pegs;
  • the 15-point zone, inside the pegs;
  • the centre hole, worth 20 points.

Lines divide the board into four quarters: each player shoots from their own, with the disc placed against the outer starting line.

Preparing a round

  1. Sit facing each other. In singles, each player takes 8 discs of their colour. In doubles, partners face each other, with 6 discs each and one colour per team.
  2. Draw lots for the order of play, colours and seats.
  3. Take turns clockwise until all the discs have been played.

The shot

Place your disc flat and still against the outer starting line of your quarter, then strike it with one or more fingers. While shooting, keep everything but your shooting hand, wrist and forearm off the board and the table, and stay seated.

A shot is valid:

  • if opposing discs are in play, when one of your discs hits one, directly or by pushing one of your own discs into it;
  • if there are none, when the shot leaves the shot disc, or a disc it struck, on the 15 line or closer to the centre: no hiding far from the middle.

An invalid shot means the shot disc and every disc it hit are removed from play, including a disc that dropped into the hole.

for example

None of Tom's discs are on the board. Léa plays very softly, and her disc stops in the 10 zone: the shot is not valid, and her disc is removed. She needed to reach the 15 line.

Discs that go out or drop in

  • A disc that drops into the centre hole is removed right away and set apart, in plain sight: it will count 20.
  • A disc that touches or crosses the outer boundary is out of play: it goes into the ditch until the end of the round.
  • If it rolls back onto the surface on its own without hitting anything, it stays in play.

Scoring a round

When all the discs have been played, count before moving anything:

  • each disc is worth the zone it rests in: 15, 10 or 5;
  • a disc touching a line is worth the lower of the two zones;
  • each disc set aside from the hole is worth 20.

The best total earns 2 round points; a tie gives 1 point to each side.

for example

Tom has one 20 set aside, two discs on 15 and one on 5: 55 points. Léa has three discs on 15 and two on 10: 65 points. Léa earns 2 round points, Tom none.

Winning

A game is played over four rounds. In singles, players take turns starting; in doubles, the honour of starting passes from one player to the next, clockwise. After four rounds, the most round points wins.

Tips for beginners

  • Aim for both your opponent's discs and the centre: a shot that knocks a disc away and stays well placed does double duty.
  • When there is nothing to hit, don't shoot too hard: you only need to reach the 15 line.
  • Keep an eye on the last shot of the round: whoever plays it has no reply to fear.

Variants

Format

  • Singles

    One against one, eight discs each.

  • Doubles

    Two against two, partners facing each other, six discs each. One column per team.

chosen when starting, the scorer follows

Frequently asked questions

How much is each zone worth in crokinole?

The centre hole is worth 20, the ring around it 15, the next ring, beyond the pegs, 10, and the outer zone 5. A disc resting on a line takes the lower value.

Do you always have to hit an opposing disc?

Yes, whenever there is one in play: the shot must hit at least one, directly or by pushing one of your own discs. Otherwise, the shot disc and the discs it hit are removed.

How do you win a game of crokinole?

Each round earns 2 points for the best score, 1 each for a tie. After four rounds, whoever has the most points wins.

What happens to a disc that drops into the hole?

It is removed at once and set aside where everyone can see it: it will be worth 20 when the round is scored, unless the shot that sank it was not valid.

The box

Origin
Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
Mechanics
DexterityTeam-Based
Contents
  • 1 round board: a centre hole and three rings worth 15, 10 and 5 points, surrounded by a ditch
  • Discs in two colours: eight per player in singles, six in doubles

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