What is Carrom?

The game of carrom is an interesting combination of pool and air hockey, but highly accessible as an indoor family game, being compact and portable.

The game features square wooden board with four corner pockets and is played by flicking a “striker” disc with one’s fingers at the target pieces or carrom “men”. The goal of the game is to collect points by sinking the nine carrom “men” of your colour, plus the red “queen” piece, into the pockets before your opponent.

Despite being classified an indoor “board game”, it is quite unique in itself – neither like dice games such as Monopoly, nor like strategy games such as Chess. In fact, it is much more, involving a combination of both physical and mental elements. Similar to billiards, marbles and air hockey in different ways, it is easy to understand, fun to play, and suitable for children and adults alike.

The advent of professional carrom tournaments and the formation of federations all over the Western world has given rise to thousands of serious carrom players. Nevertheless, there is a long way to go before “carrom” becomes a household name, with millions worldwide who haven’t even heard the name.