CAROM BILLIARDS PLUS

Such a player must have already pocketed at least one piece in order to cover the Queen as per normal. If a player pockets the Queen and one of her own pieces in the same turn, this counts and that player has covered the Queen.Should a player pocket the Queen before being permitted to cover it, the turn continues but the Queen is returned to the centre at the end of the turn.A player may only pocket and cover the Queen if that player has already pocketed at least one piece of that player's colour.

If the player pockets no pieces or commits a foul, the turn finishes.If a the striker pockets the Queen and/or one or more pieces of her own colour, the player retrieves the striker and takes another strike.It doesn't matter which piece the striker hits first and it doesn't matter if the striker hits no pieces.For the very first turn, the player is allowed three attempts to 'break' i.e.In striking, the player's hand or arm must not cross the diagonal foul lines at either end of the baseline.A piece that is on or behind the front baseline must not be struck by the striker until the striker has crossed the front baseline.The player must flick the striker with one finger so that it crosses the front baseline - it is not permitted to flick backwards or horizontally.The striker may not 'cut the moon' - be placed partially within the baseline and partially within the circle.A striker within the baseline must touch both the front line and the rear line.For each strike, the player must position the striker within the baseline OR on one of the two circles at either end of the baseline.Both players normally try to cover the Queen in addition to trying to win the game because a player who wins and also covers the Queen receives bonus points. If the Queen is pocketed but not covered, the Queen is returned to the board. To cover the Queen, a player must pocket one of her own pieces immediately after pocketing the Queen. However, neither player can win until one or other player has 'covered the Queen'. A player wins by pocketing all of the pieces of their chosen colour first. The two circles are oriented so that the Queen, a white piece from the inner circle and a white piece from the outer circle lie in a straight line pointing towards the centre of the side of the board where the player who will play first is sitting. Both circles should have the pieces alternating in colour. The remaining twelve pieces are positioned around the inner circle of six pieces, so that each outer piece touches the inner circle. Six pieces are put around the Queen directly in a circle, each touching the Queen and their neighbours. To begin, the Queen is placed in the centre of the board. The game is played by two opponents sitting opposite each other. The person who plays first aims to pocket the white pieces. If the opponent guesses correctly which hand, the opponent chooses who goes first, otherwise the player concealing the piece chooses. To decide who goes first, one player should hold a piece concealed in one hand. On some boards, potato starch, chalk dust or other lubricant is used to make the pieces slide more easily over the surface of the board - the most popular lubricant is boric acid. People often own their own strikers which can also be made of bone or ivory and which are normally somewhat heavier than the pieces although can vary in weight from half as heavy to four times as heavy as a piece. The smooth wooden pieces are slightly smaller than the the striker which is between 3.8cm and 4.4cm in diameter.

CAROM BILLIARDS PLUS

There are nine dark or black pieces and nine light or white pieces plus a red piece called the 'Queen'. This thin rectangle with circles at either end is called the 'baseline' and the baseline nearest to a player is the area that the player's striker must be played from. They should be about 3.8cm apart and the long thin area between them is terminated just before the diagonal foul lines at either end by a red circle of 3.8cm diameter. Outside the circles and a short way in from each side of the board are two straight lines parallel with the edge of the board. In the centre are two concentric circles - the centre circle is the size of a piece, the main circle having a diameter about six times larger. Two lines are drawn on the table along the diagonals. In each corner is a circular hole that can be 51mm in diameter and underneath each hole is a net to catch the pieces in a similar way to a snooker table. A Karom board is a square smooth flat wooden board that can be 72cm or 74cm square and which should be positioned 60 - 70cm above the ground. The following dimensions vary considerably and are given only as an example of a tournament board.

Carom billiards