The board and pieces
- 9 white coins, 9 black coins, 1 red queen, and a bigger striker that you flick.
- The queen goes in the centre with the other coins in a flower pattern around her.
- Two players (or two teams of two) sit opposite each other. One plays white, the other black.
Taking a shot
- Place the striker on your baseline, between the two circles. It must touch both lines.
- Drag back to aim and set the power, then let go to flick.
- If you pocket one of your own coins, you shoot again. If not, the turn passes.
The queen and covering
- You can pocket the queen at any time after you have pocketed at least one of your own coins.
- After pocketing the queen you must cover it: pocket one of your own coins with the same shot or your next one.
- If you don't cover it, the queen goes back to the centre.
- You can't pocket your last coin before the queen has been covered by someone.
Fouls
- Pocketing the striker: you lose your turn, and one of your pocketed coins goes back on the board as a penalty (or you owe one).
- Pocketing your opponent's last coin, or your own last coin before the queen is covered, is also a foul.
- Coins you pocket for your opponent stay pocketed for them.
Scoring
A board ends when one side has pocketed all of their coins. The winner scores 1 point for each of the opponent's coins still on the board, plus 3 if they covered the queen (until they reach 22 points). The first side to 25 points, or the leader after 8 boards, wins the match.
Tips
- Soft shots win games. A coin that rolls gently into a pocket keeps the striker on the board.
- Use the cushions. A rebound off the side is often the only clear line.
- Go for the queen early, while you still have plenty of coins left to cover it with.
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