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What is Carrom?

Carrom is a tabletop game of aim and positioning. Two players use a larger disc called a striker to send smaller coins into four corner pockets. One player plays white, the other plays dark, and both have to think about the red queen in the centre of the board. The idea is easy to understand: line up a shot, flick the striker and see where the coins go.

A good Carrom shot is about more than force. The angle of contact changes a coin’s direction, the board’s rails offer rebounds, and every coin that stays in play becomes part of the next position. A player who chooses a comfortable shot and controls its power can be harder to beat than one who always shoots as hard as possible.

On 2player.gg, the wooden board and carved coins bring that tabletop feeling to a browser. Open Carrom online and the local board is ready immediately. There is no account to create or app to install. This version is built for two people and uses the casual single-board house rules explained below.

Two ways to share the Carrom board

For a quick game together, local mode keeps everything on one screen. To play remotely, select “Invite friend” in the game’s top bar. The first visitor to the invitation takes the second seat, so share it with the person you want across the table.

Online play needs an active connection. The game reconnects automatically when possible, and reopening the same room in the same browser restores your seat. Inactive online rooms expire after seven days. A new online board requires both players to agree, so a rematch will not unexpectedly replace your friend’s current game.

How to play Carrom: the board and basic rules

Set up the board

The initial arrangement contains nine white coins, nine dark coins and one red queen. The queen sits at the centre, surrounded by the two colours. Four pockets sit near the corners. Baselines mark where the striker can be placed for a shot. White takes the first turn and breaks the central group.

Your goal is to pocket all nine coins of your colour after the queen has been covered. The striker is your shooting piece; it is not one of the coins you are trying to collect. Both players use the striker from their own baseline, and either player may aim for any of the four pockets.

Position, aim and shoot

1. Choose a position. Tap or click along your baseline to move the striker left or right. You cannot start a shot with the striker overlapping another coin.
2. Pull back to aim. Start dragging on the striker and pull in the opposite direction to your intended shot. The guide shows where the striker will travel.
3. Set power with the pull. A longer pull produces a stronger shot. Release to strike, then let the coins settle before the next turn.

You can also open “Shot controls” from the menu or the small controls icon. It provides position, aim and power sliders plus a Shoot button. On a keyboard, the left and right arrow keys move the striker along the baseline, and Space takes the shot.

Understand when the turn changes

Pocket a coin of your own colour without a foul and you usually earn another shot. If you do not pocket your own coin, the turn passes to the other player. Coins of your opponent’s colour that you pocket count for your opponent, so a powerful shot that scatters everything can help both sides.

The game handles movement, returned coins, turn changes and the pocketed count. Watch the short message beside or below the board to understand what happened on the last shot. When a queen is waiting to be covered, that next shot matters especially.

The red queen and how to cover it

The red queen adds a second objective to the race for your own coins. After you have pocketed your first coin, you may pocket the queen. To keep it, you must also pocket one of your own coins on the same shot or on your next shot. That follow-up is called covering the queen.

If you miss the cover, the queen returns to the board. You must then wait for another opportunity. If the very first coin you pocket goes in together with the queen, this version still asks you to cover the queen on the next shot. Taking the queen before establishing any coin of your own does not let you keep it.

The queen must be covered before the board can end. You cannot simply ignore it and win by clearing your colour first. Once either player has covered it, the race to finish the remaining coins can decide the board.

Striker fouls, returned coins and winning

What happens if you pocket the striker?

Pocketing the striker is a foul and always ends your turn in this version. Any of your own coins pocketed on that shot return to the board, along with one extra penalty coin from coins you pocketed earlier. If there is no previously pocketed coin available to pay the penalty, the debt is collected from a later shot.

Returned coins are placed automatically. You do not choose where they reappear. This keeps a casual browser game moving and means you can focus on the resulting position rather than adjusting pieces by hand.

When does the board end?

You win by clearing all nine coins of your colour once the queen has been covered. If your last coin goes in too early, it returns to the centre and the board continues. After a completed board, choose a new board from the game menu; online, your friend also needs to accept the rematch.

Our casual house rules

2player.gg uses a single-board ruleset. It does not run a tournament match to a target points total. Automatic placement of returned coins, the end-of-turn striker penalty and the requirement to cover the queen before finishing are part of this version. If you know another Carrom tradition, read these rules before your first match so both players know what to expect.

Carrom tips for more accurate shots

Look at the coin-to-pocket line first

Before aiming the striker, imagine the route from your target coin to the pocket. Then work backwards to where the striker should contact the coin. Hitting the middle of a coin sends it mostly away from you; a thinner contact changes the angle. Moving the striker along the baseline can make a difficult-looking route much more direct.

Start with controlled power

Harder is not always better. Extra speed creates more rebounds and makes the final position less predictable. Use enough power to reach the pocket and increase it when you need to cross the board or break up a group. A few practice shots will help you connect the length of your pull with the distance the pieces travel.

Keep your next shot in mind

Since pocketing your own colour can keep your turn alive, a useful position after the shot is valuable. An easy coin near a pocket may give you a follow-up; a shot that breaks a crowded area might open a longer route later. Look beyond the coin you are aiming at and consider what the board will offer if you succeed.

Use the rails when a direct line is blocked

A rebound can reach a coin that sits behind another piece or approach a target from a better angle. Begin with simple, gentle rebounds so you can see how the striker behaves after contact. As the board opens up, compare a bank shot with the direct alternative and choose the route you can judge more confidently.

Practise from both sides

You can take both local turns to experiment. Try the same target from different striker positions, then vary the power. Practice is useful for learning the controls before an online match, and it is also an easy way for two new players to learn together without worrying about the result.