|
Carrom
Carrom or carroms is a family of
tabletop games sharing a similarity in that their mechanics lie
somewhere between billiards and table shuffleboard. The game has
various other names around the world, including carrum, couronne,
carum, karam, karom, karum, fatta (Punjabi) and (rarely) finger
billiards.
Origins
The origins of carrom are uncertain,
although western sources suggest that the game is of Bangladesh,
Indian, Portuguese colonial, or Burmese origin. Variations of the
game played with a cue stick similar to those used in
billiards-type games may have independently developed in several
cases as a mixture of billiards and shuffleboard.
The game is very popular in Bangladesh,
India and Pakistan. Similar games are played throughout the world,
and may or may not share common origins with carrom. There is a
carrom-like game also played with cues in China. Games similar to
carrom appear all over Asia, for example vindi vindi in Fiji and
szhe szhe in Israel. Some variants make use of discarded objects
instead of fashioned playing pieces; bottle caps are used for games
similar to carrom in both Mexico and Java.[citation needed] Various
North American and European games bear a resemblance to (and may be
related to) carrom, including crokinole, pitchnut, pichenotte and
novuss.
Standardised equipment
The standardized Indian game is played
on a board of lacquered plywood, normally with a 29 inch (74 cm)
square playing surface. The edges of the playing surface are
bounded by bumpers of wood, and the bottom of the board is covered
by a net with a 10 cm2 or larger capacity. Instead of the balls of
billiards games, carrom uses disks. The object of the game is to
strike or flick with a finger a comparatively heavy disk called a
"striker" such that it contacts lighter object disks called
"carrom-men" and propels them into one of four corner
pockets.
|