← back to the tests

How to play Carrom

Carrom is a classic South Asian tabletop game — a bit like finger snooker or billiards played with flat discs. You flick a striker to knock your coins into the four corner pockets, chase the bonus queen, and try to clear the board before your opponent. It rewards a steady touch and a bit of angle-reading. Here's how it works.

🎯 Play TAPSIXTY Carrom vs the computer →

The goal

Be the first to pot all of your own coins — and correctly claim the queen — into the corner pockets. Each player owns one colour, light or dark, and only your own coins count toward your win.

Setting up

The coins are arranged in a circle at the centre of the board with the red queen in the middle. You place the striker on your baseline and flick it forward. In TAPSIXTY Carrom you drag back from the striker to aim and set power, then release to shoot; choose easy, medium or hard and the computer takes the other side.

How a turn works

The queen

The red queen is worth bonus value, but you can't just sink it and forget it. You must cover the queen — pot one of your own coins on the same stroke or the very next one. Pot the queen without covering it and it goes straight back to the centre. Timing the queen well, usually once you already have coins near the pockets, is a big part of good play.

Fouls to avoid

A foul typically returns one of your already-potted coins to the board, so clean, controlled shots beat powerful risky ones.

Strategy: how to win more games

🎯 Play TAPSIXTY Carrom vs the computer →

FAQ

What are the basic rules of Carrom?

Flick the striker to pot your own coloured coins into the corner pockets. Pot your coin and you shoot again; the first to clear their coins and claim the queen wins.

What is the queen and how do you pot it?

The red centre coin is the bonus queen. Pot it, then cover it by potting one of your own coins on the same or next stroke — otherwise it returns to the centre.

What counts as a foul?

Potting the striker, potting an opponent's coin, or knocking a coin off the board — each ends your turn and returns a coin as a penalty.

How do you get better?

Control power before precision, learn corner angles, use the rails, and plan a chain of pots since each made coin earns another shot.