Carrom: the classic flick-and-pocket board game, online and free

Carrom is a digital take on the beloved South-Asian tabletop game — think of it as a cross between billiards and air hockey, played with flat wooden discs on a smooth square board. You flick a heavier disc called the striker to knock your own discs into the four corner pockets before your opponent clears theirs. It's easy to pick up in a minute and endlessly satisfying to master, with the same "just one more shot" pull as a good game of pool. No board, no powder, no setup — just open it and play against the computer.

How to play

Your striker sits on the base line at the bottom of the board. Aim and shoot with a single slingshot motion: pull back from the striker to set the direction and the power — the further you pull, the harder the flick — then release to fire. Sink your own colour of disc (light or dark) to keep shooting; miss, or pocket the wrong disc, and play passes to your opponent.

• Aim: drag back away from the striker, like a slingshot — it fires in the opposite direction to your pull. A guide line shows where it will go.
• Power: the length of your pull sets the strength of the flick — short pulls for delicate cuts, long pulls for break shots.
• Reposition: slide the striker left and right along the base line before you shoot to line up the perfect angle.

The single red disc in the middle is the Queen — the most valuable piece on the board and worth chasing once you've cleared a few of your own.

Difficulty

Play against a computer opponent at Easy, Medium or Hard. Easy is forgiving and great for learning the physics; Medium plays a steady positional game; Hard punishes loose shots and rarely wastes a turn. Bank shots off the cushions and gentle cut angles all behave the way they would on a real board, so skill you build here is skill you'd use at a family table.

Tips

• Softer is often smarter — a controlled tap that leaves the striker in a good spot beats a wild break.
• Use the side cushions. Banking the striker off a wall opens up discs you can't hit straight on.
• Clear discs that clog the pockets first, so later shots have a clean path.
• Line up the angle by moving the striker along the base line before you even think about power.

Frequently asked questions

Is Carrom free? Yes — free to play, with no account or download. It runs in any modern browser on phone, tablet or desktop.

Can I play against a friend? The current version is single-player against a computer opponent at three difficulty levels.

Do I need to know the real rules? No — the basics are on screen and you'll pick up the feel within a game or two.

Want a different kind of table game? Try Ludo, or browse all Zamborin games.