These are the International Carrom Federation laws, played on a 74 cm board. Each side has 9 coins; the red queen is shared.

The aim

Pocket all of your coins before the other side, and pocket the queen and “cover” her along the way.

Taking a shot

• Place the striker on your baseline. It must sit between the two lines, and can cover a red base circle, but must not touch a coin.
• Pull back from the striker and let go to flick it. You can hit coins directly or off the cushions.
• Pocket one of your own coins and you shoot again. Otherwise the turn passes to the right.

The break

The player who breaks plays white for that board. The break must touch a coin; you get three tries before it passes over. Turns to break go round, board by board.

The queen and the cover

• You can only pocket the queen after you have pocketed at least one of your own coins.
• After the queen goes in, pocket one of your own coins on the very next shot to “cover” her. If you don't, she goes back to the centre.
• The queen and one of your coins in the same shot counts as covered (unless all nine of your coins were still on the board).
• Never pocket your last coin while the queen is still out there.

Fouls and penalties

• Striker in a pocket: one of your pocketed coins comes back out as a penalty (a “due”) and the other side places it inside the outer circle. If you have none yet, you owe it until you do.
• If you also pocketed your own coins in that shot, they come back too, but you keep your turn.
• Pocketing the other side's coin ends your turn, and it counts for them.
• While you owe a penalty coin, the queen can't be taken.

Winning a board

• The side that pockets all its coins first wins the board and scores 1 point for every coin the other side still has on the board.
• The queen is worth 3 more points to the winner, only if the winner covered her, and only until that side reaches 22 points.
• Pocket your last coin before the queen is covered and you lose the board by 3 points. Pocket the other side's last coin early and you lose by your coins plus the queen.

Game length

Full game: first to 25 points, or the leader after 8 boards (an extra board breaks a tie). Short game: 13 points or 4 boards. Or play one board.

Doubles

Partners sit opposite each other and play the same colour. Turns go round to the right.

On a phone

There are no pushes, thumbing rules, timers or umpire calls here: every shot is a fair flick. Coins can't fly off a flat screen. The queen is put back for you; penalty coins are placed by the other side (tap “Auto” to let the game do it).