Kubb is the Swedish lawn game, sometimes called Viking chess, free to play online here against the computer with no download and no sign-up. Throw wooden batons end over end down an eight-metre pitch to topple the five kubbs on the far baseline. Every kubb you knock down is thrown back into your half by your opponent as a field kubb, and field kubbs must fall before baseline kubbs. Clear the whole half and topple the king to win, but knock the king early and you lose. Tournament rules, best of three games, five computer opponents.
How to play Kubb
- The pitch is 5 metres wide and 8 metres long. Five kubbs stand on your baseline at the bottom and five on the computer’s at the top, with the king in the middle. You throw from behind your baseline at the computer’s half.
- Tap the pitch where you want the baton to come down, or move the aim with the arrow keys; ◀ ▶ (or A and D) step you along your throwing line, and ⌖ (or N) aims at the next kubb. The yellow stretch shows where the baton is low enough to hit. The marker swings side to side and nearer and further: tap it again, or press Throw or Space, as it passes through the middle.
- Games open 2-4-6: the opener throws two batons, the reply four, and every turn after that six. A baton can topple more than one kubb, and a falling kubb can take down one standing right behind it.
- Every kubb you topple is gathered by your opponent and thrown into your half as a field kubb, and you do the same with the ones it topples. A thrown kubb that lands out of bounds is thrown again; out twice, it becomes a punishment kubb that the other side stands wherever it likes, a baton length from the king and the corners.
- Field kubbs must fall before baseline kubbs: a baseline kubb toppled while a field kubb still stands in that half is stood back up. If your opponent leaves field kubbs standing in your half, you throw from the advantage line through the one nearest the centre.
- When every kubb in the computer’s half is down, throw at the king from your baseline; topple it in the same turn to win the game. Topple the king any earlier, with a baton or a thrown kubb, and you lose. A match is best of three, and the opening alternates. Win a match to unlock the next opponent.
Tips
- Wait for the swing. The marker passes through the middle side to side about once a second; letting go right then, rather than at any moment, is the difference between one throw in twelve and three in four.
- Throw your field kubbs close together just over the centre line. You have to knock them down yourself straight away, and a tight group can go two at a time.
- Never leave a field kubb standing if you can help it. Every one left gives the computer an advantage line, and a throw from the middle of the pitch is far easier than one from the baseline.
- Aim a little short. A baton that lands just in front of a kubb tumbles into it; one that lands just past it has already sailed over.
- Step along your line to throw through two kubbs at once. A field kubb sitting behind another is an invitation.
- Mind the king. A field kubb right beside him is a trap: a baton that lands a touch short hits the king and loses the game. Step to the side and come at it at an angle.
FAQ
Is Kubb free to play online?
Yes. Kubb here is free in any modern browser, with no download, no account and nothing to buy. Your unlocked opponents and a match in progress are saved in your browser, so you can close the tab and carry on later.
How do you play Kubb?
Two sides throw wooden batons at each other’s kubbs, the wooden blocks standing on the far baseline. Kubbs you knock down are thrown back into your half by your opponent and become field kubbs, which must be knocked down before any baseline kubb counts. Topple every kubb in your opponent’s half, then the king in the middle, to win. Topple the king too early and you lose.
What are the rules this version uses?
It follows the U.S. National Kubb Championship rulebook, itself based on the World Championship rules from Gotland: a 5 × 8 metre pitch, five kubbs on each baseline, six batons a turn after a 2-4-6 opening, field kubbs before baseline kubbs, the advantage line, a re-throw and then a punishment kubb for field kubbs thrown out, and the king thrown at only from the baseline. A match is best of three. A few things are simplified: a thrown kubb is stood up where it stops (or touching the one it landed on), punishment kubbs are placed for you deep by the sideline, and a game that reaches 60 turns is decided by kubbs left — only 2 of the 1,000 games measured between the computer players got that far.
What is an advantage line in Kubb?
If your opponent fails to knock down all the field kubbs in your half, you may throw your batons from a line across the pitch through the one nearest the centre line, instead of from your baseline. It is the main reason to clear your field kubbs every turn. The king is always thrown at from the baseline.
What happens if you knock over the king early?
You lose the game straight away — whether a baton or one of your thrown field kubbs knocks him down. The king may only be toppled once every kubb in your opponent’s half is down, and then only from your baseline.
Does throwing first matter?
Very little, because of the 2-4-6 opening. With the same level on both sides for 200 games, the opener won 100 and the other side 100 for the Novice, 110 to 90 for the Club Player and 120 to 80 for the Master. The opening still alternates through a match.
How good is the computer?
All five opponents plan their throws the same way — they try every kubb, every line through two of them and five spots along the line on the real pitch and keep the safest throw that topples the most — and differ in how steady the hand is. Measured over 200 games a pairing with the opening swapped: the Novice scores 89% against a beginner who only knows the rules, the Apprentice 94% against the Novice, the Club Player 94% against the Apprentice, the Expert 96% against the Club Player and the Master 96% against the Expert. From eight metres at an untouched baseline, the Novice topples a kubb with 9% of its batons and the Master with 59%.
How accurate is my throw?
It depends on when you let go. On the opening eight-metre throw aimed dead on, letting go at a random moment topples a kubb about 8% of the time — about the Novice’s rate. Letting go within a tenth of a second of the marker swinging through the middle topples one 39% of the time, and within a twentieth of a second 77%, better than the Master.
How big are the kubbs, batons and pitch?
The game uses the tournament sizes: kubbs 7 × 7 × 15 cm, the king 9 × 9 × 30 cm, batons 30 cm long and 4.4 cm across, on a 5 × 8 metre pitch. The pieces are drawn larger than life so you can see them on a phone; the throws use the real sizes.
Where does Kubb come from?
Kubb is a Swedish lawn game, closely tied to the island of Gotland, where the Kubb World Championship has been played every summer since 1995. It is often called Viking chess, but there is no firm evidence of a Viking origin. The U.S. National Kubb Championship is played in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Can I play Kubb on my phone?
Yes. Tap the pitch to aim, tap the swinging marker to throw, and tap near your own line to step along it. Held upright, the pitch sits above the controls; turned sideways, the controls sit beside it. Tap while a baton is in the air to skip to where it lands.