Carrom is a family of tabletop games with gameplay that lies somewhere between billiards and table shuffleboard.

Carrom is known by many names around the world, including carrum, couronne, carum, karam, karom, karum, fatta (Punjabi) and finger billiards. The game was originated in India or Sri Lanka, but may have developed in more than one part of the world independently. Formal rules for the game were not published until 1988. The game and its variants are played in many countries across the world, recreationally and as a competitive sport (as organised by the International Carrom Federation). Carrom employs simple equipment enabling a wide player base. Variants of carrom that employ cue sticks also exist.

Origins
The origin of the game is uncertain. Sources suggest that the game is of Indian or Sri Lankan origin. Variations of the game played with a cue stick similar to billiards-type games may have independently developed. Such similarity is evident in games such as table shuffleboard. Carrom may have led to the development of many other games or spin-offs. The International Carrom Federation (ICF) was formed in the year 1988 in the city of Chennai (Madras). In the same year, the rules for playing Carrom were formally codified. The game is very popular in South Asia (Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh & Pakistan). Similar games are played throughout the world. There is a carromlike 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.Various North American and European games bear a resemblance to (and may be related to) carrom, including crokinole, pitchnut and pichenotte, and novuss.

Equipment
In India and Pakistan, the game is played on a board made of lacquered plywood. The dimensions of the standardised Indian game is a 29 inches (74 cm) square playing surface on a board of lacquered plywood. The edges of the playing surface are bounded by bumpers of wood, and the bottom of the board is covered by a net which is 10 cm2 or larger. Carrom uses disks, and not balls. The objective of play is to use a striker disk with a flick of the finger to make contact with and move lighter object disks called carrom men, which are thus propelled into one of four corner pockets.

Carrom men - Carrom is played on the board using uniform, small disks of wood or sometimes plastic, called carrom men (also carrom-men, carrommen), sometimes abbreviated c/m. Carrom men are also known by colloquial terms such as seed, coin, puck, or goti). Carrom men have a smooth movement in a flat position on the surface of the carrom board when hit by a striker of standard specification. Carrom men are used in three distinct colours. Two colours are meblack. Red is a special colour that designates the queen. ICF approved pieces must have a diameter of no more ant to represent invidual or team opponents. These colours are white (or unstained) and than 3.18 cm and no less than 3.02 cm. The pieces must be at least 7 mm and at most 9 mm thick. The pieces have a plain, rounded edge. The mass of the pieces is within 5 g and 5.5 g. The Queen - The red coin (or disk or seed) is called the queen. The queen is the most powerful carrom piece. During board setup, it is placed at the centre of the circle. In accordance with the ICF rules, pocketing the queen adds 3 points to the player's total score. The dimensions of the queen must be the same as those of other carrom men. The player must pocket the queen and subsequently pocket a carrom man of the player's own color. This is termed covering the queen. If the player fails to pocket a subsequent carrom man, the queen is replaced at the centre of the circle. The player is further penalised by being forced to skip the next turn. If the player subsequently pockets a carrom man of the color chosen by the other player, he loses the game. When playing for a cumulative point, the player must pocket a white coin. The Striker - The striker is larger and heavier than the carrom men. According to ICF rules, "the striker is smooth and round, with a diameter that does not exceed 4.13 cm. Its weight should not be more than 15 grams. Ivory and metal strikers are not allowed in tournaments. The striker can be flicked with a finger to hit carrom men into corner pockets or against another. Powder - Fine-grained powder is used on the board to enable the pieces to slide easily. Boric acid powder is the most commonly used for this purpose. In the UK, many players use a version of anti-setoff spray powder from the printing industry which has specific electrostatic properties with particles of 50 micrometres in diameter. The powder is made from pure, food-grade vegetable starch.

Standardised rules and regulations

The Toss - Order of play is determined by the process of "calling the carrom men" or "the toss". Before commencing each match, an umpire hides one black and one white carrom man in his hands. The players must guess which color carrom men are being held in each hand. The player who guesses correctly wins the toss. The winner of the toss must either choose to strike first or to change sides (from white to black) and give up the opening break. No option to pass this decision to the other player is available. If the player chooses to strike, the loser can change sides, but if the winner chooses to change sides the loser must strike first. The player taking the first shot (or break) gets to play white. The opponent plays black. Shooting - The aim of the game is to pot (or pocket) one's own nine carrom men before one's opponent pots his/hers. It is necessary that the queen be pocketed before pocketing a player's final carrom man. Any player pocketing the queen is required to cover it by pocketing a carrom man of his/her chosen color. The player is allowed to shoot with any finger, including the thumb (known as "thumbing" or a "thumb shot" or a "thumb hit"). Crossing the diagonal lines on the board by coming in touch with it, or pocketing the striker is a foul. A player committing a foul must return one carrom man that was already pocketed. If a player pockets his striker, he has to pay a penalty. This penalty is usually 10 points.

Point Carrom - Point Carrom is a variant that is popular with children or an odd number of players. Game play is as described above with a variation. Players are allowed to pocket carrom men of any colour. Carrom men of black colour are assigned 1 point and white colour are assigned 2 points. The red queen is assigned 5 points. Pocketing the queen must be followed by pocketing another carrom man on the same or subsequent strike. The first player to reach 17 points is declared the winner. If no player reaches 17 points, the player with the highest points is declared the winner. If the scores are tied, a tie-breaker must be played. Players who are tied (in points) select a colour. They are allowed to pocket carrom men of an alternate colour only on rebound. Total Point Carrom - Total point carrom is a variant of point carrom, in which the black carrom men are worth 5 points and the white ones are worth 10 points. The red queen is assigned 50 points and must have a subsequent carrom men pocketed after it. To win, a player must receive all the carrom men on the board. After the first round the player or team with the lowest score puts all their carrom men in the center. The others must match this score in the center and the players play for the carrom men in the center. They repeat this until one team or player has all the carrom men. This style of play is widely accepted in many areas of south Asia.