Carrom is one of the most popular indoor games – earlier it was played by people from various age groups in India as a pass time at home. The game is now played all over the world because it is so entertaining and intense that people can play for hours and lose track of time. Carrom required spatial intelligence, knowing the angles and hitting with precision. Due to this, a lot of energy is also consumed in concentrating before the player strikes.
It is also played on an international level and has the stature of a proper sport. Now people can enjoy playing the carrom game online – it solves many problems that traditional carrom players encounter. Since carrom is played differently in every corner of the world, there is no concrete guidance given to beginners trying their hands at this game. If you aspire to know the basics that you must learn inside out then here’s a one-stop guide to enlighten you before you play carrom online.
Different Game Styles
On an online gaming app like MPL, you can play carrom online using the professional style or the freestyle. In case of professional play, you are supposed to aim to pot all the coins of the colour allotted to you (either all black coins or white coins), inclusive of the cover for the queen that you need to pot. The winner of this professional gameplay is the one who manages to pot all the ten coins (nine white or black coins and one queen).
In the case of freestyle play, you can pot any of the coins (and not just all white or all black). Every coin carries points – for instance, black coin carries 10 points, white coin carries 20 points, and the queen carries 50 points. At the end of the game (once no coins are left on the board), the player with the maximum points emerges as the winner.
Understanding the Board
A carrom board is designed with a decorated circle in the centre, it has baselines on all sides with four net holes in the corner that have arrows pointing towards them. There are two circles located at the end of every baseline. All the coins are kept around the queen at the centre and the players break this ring formation by striking to start the game.
Equipment
Playing an efficient game of carrom requires a lot of equipment. The first and foremost are the coins or carrom men which are round pieces that we strike in any game of carrom. In total there are nine black coins, nine white coins and one red queen placed in the middle. The next important piece in the line is the striker, which is also circular but slightly bigger in dimension. But now that carrom has become an online board game, you don’t have to arrange for these equipment physically as the setup is readily available and you can get straight to playing.
Learning about Shots
Rookie players learn this at a very late stage in their carrom journey, but if you read up on these shots and practice them by playing you might appear as a player who is naturally gifted at carrom. So some basic shots you should know about are side shot or displacement shot – it is played to prevent your opponents from scoring. There is a middle shot which can pocket two pieces if executed correctly. The masterstroke of carrom known as ‘cut and take’ which pockets one piece and aligns another piece for you in such a way that you can score again in the next turn. ‘Second hit’ is a trick shot where you connect two pieces by striking and pocket one. ‘Board shot’ is a pro-level short where the striker hits all three sides of the boards and you pocket one coin. ‘Backshot’ is played often by rebounding the striker to hit a coin. Here are the best carrom trick shots you must know.
Foul Play
Now that you can play carrom online, you need to be wary about what kinds of play get considered as foul. A common foul in online carrom is when you end up pocketing the last possible cover coin without pocketing the queen. Another foul is when you pocket the striker. Even if you hit the coins that touch the diagonal line or the striker line, it is considered as a foul. Also, you commit a foul if you strike beneath your striker line.
Final Thoughts
Playing carrom online is a great way to learn whether you are truly fond of carrom. Practice carrom game online on the MPL app and discuss it with other enthusiasts for more insights. Learning and playing with a community can motivate you to play as well as know about carrom in depth. If you sincerely learn about all the things mentioned and experience the game by yourself, then you are likely to take your gameplay to the next level. Start practicing now on an online carrom app like MPL.
