How to play carrom online
Carrom is a tabletop game where you flick a heavy disc, the striker, into lighter coins (carrom men) to knock them into the four corner pockets. You play white and shoot from the bottom baseline; your opponent plays black from the top. Pocket all nine of your coins, plus the red queen with a cover, before your opponent does.
| Action | Mouse / touch | Keyboard |
|---|---|---|
| Place striker | Drag the striker left or right along your baseline | Left / Right arrows |
| Aim and power | Press away from the striker and pull back; it shoots opposite your pull | A / D aim, W / S power |
| Shoot | Release (pull back less than a few pixels to cancel) | Space or Enter |
| Cancel aim | Release near where you pressed | Esc |
The Precision controls panel gives the same three settings as sliders with a Shoot button, which is handy for exact bank shots and for screen-reader users.
Carrom rules used in this game
- Own colour: pocketing one of your coins earns another shot. Pocketing an opponent’s coin counts for them and ends your turn (unless you also pocketed your own).
- Queen: you may pocket the queen only after pocketing at least one of your own coins; otherwise it returns to the centre.
- Cover: after the queen drops, pocket one of your coins on the same shot or your next shot. Miss, and the queen goes back to the centre spot.
- Striker foul: coins you pocketed that shot come back, one earlier coin is returned as a penalty (or owed as a due), and your turn ends. A due is paid back the next time you pocket a coin.
- Last coin: your final coin cannot be pocketed while the queen is still uncovered; if it drops, it returns to the centre.
- Winning a board: clear all nine coins after the queen is covered. You score 1 point per opponent coin left, plus 3 if you covered the queen.
Game modes
vs Computer
The AI tests candidate shots with the real physics engine before it plays, then adds aiming error: about 3.5° on Easy, 1.4° on Medium and 0.45° on Hard.
2 Players
Pass-and-play on one device. White shoots from the bottom, black from the top. Undo is available for friendly games.
Practice
Every coin counts for you and the queen needs no cover. Clear all 19 pieces in as few shots as possible; a pocketed striker adds a penalty shot. Your best is saved.
How the carrom physics work
The board is simulated at 240 steps per second in millimetre-like units on a 740 × 740 playing surface. The striker (radius 20.5) is heavier than the coins (radius 15.5), with a mass ratio of 15 : 5.5, so it drives coins forward and keeps rolling after impact.
Sliding friction: dv/dt = -(a + k·v), a = 520 u/s², k = 0.5 /s Stopping distance: d = v0/k - (a/k²)·ln(1 + k·v0/a) Coin collision: J = (1 + e)·v_rel / (1/m1 + 1/m2), e = 0.92 Cushion bounce: v_out = -0.72 × v_in (and 4% side friction) Pocket: a piece drops when its centre is within 22.5 u of a pocket centre Shot speed: 150 + power × 2,850 u/s (max 3,000)
Worked example: a straight hit
The striker hits a resting coin dead centre at 1,000 u/s. With masses 15 and 5.5 and e = 0.92, the impulse is J = 1.92 × 1,000 / (1/15 + 1/5.5) ≈ 7,727. The coin leaves at 7,727 / 5.5 ≈ 1,405 u/s and the striker slows to 1,000 − 7,727/15 ≈ 485 u/s, so it follows the coin. A coin moving at 600 u/s slides about 253 units before stopping.
Three shots every carrom player should know
Straight pot
Coin, pocket and striker in one line. Place the striker on the extension of the coin-to-pocket line and use medium power; too much power can make the striker follow the coin in for a foul.
Cut shot
Hit the coin off-centre so it travels at an angle. Aim at the “ghost” point one striker-plus-coin radius behind the coin on the pocket line; the full guide draws this ghost for you. Thin cuts above about 60° need much more power.
Rebound (bank) shot
Bounce the striker off a cushion to reach coins behind your baseline or around blockers. Cushions return only about 72% of the speed, so add power for every bounce.
Reading a board result
Suppose you clear your ninth coin after covering the queen while your opponent still has 4 coins on the board. You score 4 + 3 = 7 points. If your opponent had covered the queen instead, you would score only 4. In Race to 25 the boards continue, alternating who breaks, until someone reaches 25.
Tips to win more boards
- Pocket an easy coin of your own early so the queen becomes available, then plan queen and cover together.
- Leave the striker away from pockets: soft shots near a corner are the most common cause of fouls.
- When nothing is open, play safe: nudge an opponent coin away from a pocket or park your coin behind it.
- Use less power on cut shots near the pocket mouth; coins rattle out of the corner at high speed.
Common mistakes
- Going for the queen first. Without one of your own coins pocketed, it simply returns.
- Forgetting the cover. After the queen drops, your very next shot must pocket one of your coins.
- Full-power breaks every time. A controlled break spreads coins without sending the striker into a pocket.
Carrom terms
- Striker
- The larger, heavier disc you flick.
- Carrom men
- The 9 white and 9 black coins.
- Queen
- The red coin in the centre circle.
- Cover
- Pocketing your own coin right after the queen to keep it.
- Due
- A penalty coin owed after a foul when you have none to return.
- Baseline
- The double line in front of you where the striker must be placed.
- Break
- The first shot of a board, splitting the centre formation.
Limitations
This is a 2D simulation, so it has no spin, no thumbing and no board tilt, and there is no online multiplayer. Rule details vary between clubs and federations, and the version here is simplified for quick play. Records are kept only in this browser.
Frequently asked questions
Can I play carrom online for free without downloading?
Yes. This carrom board game runs entirely in your web browser on phones, tablets and computers. There is nothing to install and no account. Your settings and win records are stored only in your own browser.
How do I shoot the striker?
Drag the striker sideways to place it on your baseline, then press anywhere else on the board and pull back like a slingshot. The striker fires in the opposite direction of your pull, and a longer pull means more power. You can also use the sliders and the Shoot button, or the keyboard.
What are the rules for the queen and cover?
The red queen can be pocketed only after you have pocketed at least one of your own coins. After pocketing it you must cover it by pocketing one of your own coins on the same shot or your next shot. If you miss the cover, the queen returns to the centre.
What happens if the striker goes into a pocket?
Pocketing the striker is a foul. Any of your coins pocketed on that shot return to the centre, one of your previously pocketed coins is returned as a penalty (or owed as a due if you have none), and your turn ends.
How is a carrom board scored?
The player who pockets all nine of their coins after the queen is covered wins the board. The winner scores one point for every opponent coin still on the board, plus 3 points if the winner covered the queen. In Race to 25 mode, boards continue until someone reaches 25 points.
How good is the computer opponent?
The AI tests real shots with the same physics engine you play with, then adds aiming error based on difficulty. Easy makes frequent mistakes, Medium is a solid club-style opponent and Hard rarely misses an open pot.
Are these the official ICF carrom rules?
They follow the main ideas of standard carrom play - own colour, queen and cover, striker fouls, dues and board points - but some details are simplified for a fast online game. Tournament rules on thumbing, time limits and queen points can differ.