It’s December, which begs the question just where has the years gone?
It seems only yesterday I was considering what to ask St. Nick, Santa Claus and even Krampus for in terms of games for the 2014 holiday season.
This year I thought why not dedicate the final month of the year to some ideas which anyone with a game lover on their gift list might consider.
Starting the list is a game I’ve hinted at for a number of years, although Santa’s ears are apparently plugged with plum pudding so he has yet to hear me.
The game that has yet to show up under my tree is actually an old one, although the date of origin is unknown.
Of course the roots of Carrom are generally lost to time. No one even knows exactly where the game originated. It has been suggested it may have originated in Bangladesh, Burma, Egypt, or Ethiopia, but most believe it originated in India.
What is rather clear is the game probably had an influence on the creation of crokinole, which days back to an origin thought to be in 1876 in Canada, although that might not be wholly accurate either.
Carrom is most easily described as finger pool. On a 29” x 29” wooden board, players flick a large weighted disc (the striker) at smaller wooden discs (the carrom-men). The goal is to sink your nine carrom-men, as well as the red Queen, in the four corner pockets. The first player or team to accomplish this collects points for the round (a board). A standard game of Carrom continues until one player has 25 points or eight boards have been completed.
There is an American derivative of the game, although it is far more a children’s game than the original Carrom, which can be highly skilled as it is strictly a game of skill.
The most widely played form of ‘proper’ Carrom is supported by a worldwide set of rules known as The Laws of Carrom, and are available from the International Carrom Federation (icf-media.beepworld.de). The site has detailed rules for once you get your board.
Of course that is an issue, Carrom boards are not easily found, and as in many things in life, not all boards are created equal. The thicker a board the less likely to warp. The heavier the frame, the better in terms of lasting as well.
There are cheaper quality boards at relatively low prices, and those costing $300-$400-plus, and remember a board is big and has some weight, so you can add some shipping costs too. Generally a web search will find you some options, just make sure it is Carrom and not the American version, which is far less of a game.
Formation of an international governing body for Carrom was first discussed back in the fifties, but the ICF was not formed until October 1988. Delegates from India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Malaysia, Germany and Switzerland met in Madras, India, for the first World Carrom Congress. The ICF was formed and an international set of Laws of Carrom was adopted.
Certainly check out www.carrom.org as a website with lots of information on the game.
“A combination of pool, marbles and air hockey, ‘international standard’ Carrom is to its American derivative as snooker is to bumper pool. It still uses a square, wooden game board (29 inches X 29 inches) with four, corner pockets and is played by flicking a “striker” at the object pieces, resembling black and white checkers. The goal is to sink your nine pieces, plus the red, “queen”, in the pockets first, thereby collecting points. Though the geometry may be the same as pool and “American carrom”, the physics and strategy are fascinatingly different,” details the site.
This is a game that would be great for a local watering hole to get a hold of to set up league nights, preferably alongside crokinole.
In the meantime, Santa hope you are reading.
