Crokinole is the Canadian disc-flicking board game, free to play online here against the computer with no download and no sign-up. Flick wooden discs from your quarter of a round board towards the 20 hole in the middle, past the eight pegs guarding the 15 ring. While the computer has a disc on the board you must hit one, so every shot is either a takeout or a careful draw to the centre. The game uses tournament rules: eight discs each, four rounds and two points for every round won. Five computer opponents get steadier as you climb.
How to play Crokinole
- Each round you and the computer shoot 8 discs each, taking turns. Yours are the cream discs and you shoot from the bottom quarter of the board, with the disc touching the outer line. Slide it along your quarter with ◀ ▶, the arrow keys or by dragging it along the edge.
- To flick, drag back from your disc like a slingshot and let go: the further you pull, the harder the flick, and the arrow shows the direction and strength. On a keyboard, A and D turn the aim, the up and down arrows set the strength (hold Shift for fine steps), and Space or Enter flicks.
- If any of the computer’s discs is on the board, your shot must hit one, directly or by knocking one of your own discs into it. If none is, your shot must finish touching the 15 line or inside it, or drop into the 20 hole. Break either rule and your disc goes to the ditch, together with any of your discs it moved.
- A disc that drops into the centre hole is a 20: it comes off the board at once and counts 20 for its owner. A disc that stops touching the outer line, or slides off the board, goes to the ditch.
- When all 16 discs are played the round is scored: 15 for each disc inside the pegs, 10 in the middle ring and 5 in the outer ring, plus 20 for every 20. A disc touching a line counts the lower value.
- The higher total takes the round for 2 points, and a tied round is a point each. The first shot alternates from round to round. After 4 rounds the most points wins; if it is level, a fifth round decides it, and a tie there too is a drawn game. Beat an opponent to unlock the next.
Tips
- Shoot from the side of your quarter for an open 20. Straight down the middle there is a peg between you and the hole.
- Pull short for the 20. A disc only drops in when it reaches the hole slowly — a hard shot hops right over it and runs on.
- When you have to hit, hit firmly enough to keep your own disc on the board. A takeout that leaves your shooter in the 10 or 15 ring scores twice: their disc gone, yours counting.
- Tuck discs behind the pegs. A disc sitting just behind a peg from the computer’s side is hard to reach cleanly, and it still counts 15 or 10.
- Watch who has the last shot. Whoever shoots last in a round can answer whatever is left, so with few discs to go keep yours out of easy takeout lines.
- Fine-tune with Shift: on a keyboard, Shift with A or D turns the aim a tenth of a degree, and Shift with the up and down arrows changes the strength half a step.
FAQ
Is Crokinole free to play online?
Yes. Crokinole here is free in any modern browser, with no download, no account and nothing to buy. Your unlocked opponents and a game in progress are saved in your browser, so you can close the tab and carry on later.
How do you play Crokinole?
Two players take turns flicking discs from their own quarter of a round board towards the centre. A disc in the centre hole scores 20, and discs left on the board score 15, 10 or 5 depending on the ring they stop in. If your opponent has a disc on the board you must hit one; if not, your disc must reach the 15 line. After every disc has been played, the higher total takes the round.
What is the hit rule in Crokinole?
If any of your opponent’s discs is on the board, your shot must touch one of them — directly, or by knocking one of your own discs into it. A shot that touches none of them is a foul: your disc goes to the ditch, along with any of your discs it moved and any 20 it made. With none of their discs on the board, your shot must instead finish touching the 15 line or inside it, or sink a 20.
What happens when a disc touches a line?
A disc touching the line between two scoring rings counts the lower value, so a disc on the 15 line scores 10. A disc that stops touching the outer line is out of play and goes to the ditch, and so does one that slides off the board.
How is a game of Crokinole scored here?
This version uses the tournament format of the National Crokinole Association and the World Crokinole Championship: 8 discs each per round, the higher round total takes 2 points and a tie gives 1 point each, and a game is 4 rounds. If the points are level after 4 rounds a fifth round decides it. Many family games instead score only the difference between the two totals and play on to 100; that version is not offered here.
How good is the computer?
All five opponents pick their shots the same way — they try dozens of flicks on the real board and keep the best — and differ in how steady the hand is. Measured over 200 games a pairing with seats swapped: the Novice scores 92% against a casual player who knows only the rules, the Apprentice 84% against the Novice, the Club Player 84% against the Apprentice, the Expert 86% against the Club Player and the Master 89% against the Expert. The Master sinks a 20 with 37% of its shots, the Novice with 4%.
Does having the last shot in a round matter?
Less than you might think. When the Expert played itself for 100 games, the player who shot first won 186 rounds, the player with the last shot (the hammer) 201, and 38 were tied. Between two Masters, 221 of 426 rounds ended level.
Where does Crokinole come from?
Crokinole is a Canadian game. The oldest known board was made in 1876 by Eckhardt Wettlaufer in Perth County, Ontario, and the World Crokinole Championship has been held in Tavistock, Ontario, since 1999. The name probably comes from the French croquignole, a flick of the finger.
How big is the board?
It is drawn to tournament proportions: a 26-inch playing surface, the 15, 10 and outer lines at 4, 8 and 12 inches from the centre, a 1⅜-inch 20 hole, eight pegs standing on the 15 line, and discs 1¼ inches across. Past the surface is the ditch where removed discs lie until the round ends.
Can I play Crokinole on my phone?
Yes. Drag back from your disc and let go to flick it, drag along the edge of your quarter to move it, or use the on-screen buttons for small steps. The round board fits an upright phone, and turned sideways the scores sit beside it. Tap the board while a shot is sliding to skip to where it stops.