Blog

If you look at a current Carrom Game Board, you notice that it has more ink than your favorite pop star. It’s adorned with triangular points, fleur de lis style designs, checkered blocks, numbers and circles. But unlike many stars, it’s had some staying power; debuting in the 1890’s.

Even though the board is marked with so many options, I’m like most people who play these games and stick with the more mainstream choices. I’m obviously partial to crokinole and always curious how the game plays on various boards from the past. But, while examining a new item I bought, (a complete circa 1900 Star Archarena box of game pieces including spinners, a bowling back board and rules), I noticed a game and curious disclaimer that caught my eye. First though, a little history,

The original patent for crokinole expired in 1897 in the US which led to the overnight growth of several businesses trying to tap into the burgeoning family/parlor game industry. M.B. Ross, the owner of the expired patent, spent years fostering the growth of crokinole throughout the US and was quite successful. Now competition wanted a cut, and, while somewhat ‘wildcat’ in nature, were looking to ‘improve’ boards to protect their creations and profits by justifying a patent. This included the Ludington Novelty Works (later known as the Carrom Company), Leonard Manufacturing Company, South Bend Toy Company, Edw. Mikkelsen & Co. and the Archarena Game Company, among others. This last company will merge with Carrom in 1901 and is the manufacturer of my box of game pieces.

The companies started with modest additions to crokinole. For example, the Ludington Novelty Works combined it with its main offering, carrom , and other back-side games like chess and checkers. Soon companies added items like backgammon, and a slew of disk, top, and pin related games. While many of these games only had slight variations, it allowed manufactures to tout their boards over the paltry offerings of their competitors.

It was with this in mind that I looked at the bowling offerings on the Star Archarena backing. This was included with the game to stop the pins from continuously flying off the board and noisily hitting the floor and probably eliminating, especially for parents, the same effect a leaking faucet has on the psyche. It was pretty ingenious to fix an issue while maximizing the real estate for ads and rules. It does confuse you a bit when you first see it, wondering why they would make what looks like the cover of a book without pages just to slap ads and rules on it.

Not sure why I started to review the bowling rules, except that I have always loved the sport. The dead wood title caught my eye since it is a common term heard when you play duckpin bowling in Baltimore. The second thing that grabbed my attention was the bowling game of Cocked Hat. It sounded like an interesting phrase but reading further, the sentence referencing that the St. Louis rules, under the auspices of that city’s “Cocked Hat League governs this game,” really piqued my interest. Wow, what authority the St. Louis, MO.Cocked Hat League swayed , even over game companies. As if there was a doubt, that a board player might question these rules; perhaps if they were provided by more suspect leagues like Cleveland’s CHL or the Greater Boise Chapter of Cocked Hatters (I made these up). Regardless, it just sounds so official.

Cocked Hat is a real life derivation of bowling and not just a board game. It uses only three pins (1, 7 and 10), forming the points of the triangle of a normal ten pin formation. You use a duckpin ball (much smaller than a normal ball and no holes) and you get three rolls just like in duckpin. A perfect game is 90. I’m guessing these were the details that made this the St. Louis version of Cocked Hat.

Amazingly, there is only one known place that has lanes and hosts Cocked Hat Bowling in the US. It is in St. Charles, Missouri which is outside of St. Louis, at the Corner Bar, an establishment hosting two lanes since 1875. Why Cocked Hat? The name derives from the the way that men fashioned their hats when playing. Fascinating since bowling games usually get their names based on pin style like candlepin or duckpin.

As I wrap up here, I have been asking myself why did I write this (my wife asked the same)? There are a few reasons. I am always amazed and grateful when a piece of history, especially Americana, is still holding on somewhere you least expect it. Sometimes it’s found in a phrase on the back of a game accessory written 120 years ago that leads you down a rabbit hole, or in this case a trap door. It’s the fun of sharing this with others (even with my not so reticent wife). It’s stumbling on other people’s passion projects while pursuing yours, like Kevin Hong’s visual documentation of bowling alleys all across North America. He so graciously let me use his photo of the lanes. Check out www.vintagebowling.net for an array of alleys. It’s knowing that there are other discoveries lurking, so cock your hats, explore and share.

I have been spending way too much time staring at this game board which hangs in my kids’ playroom. I love the wood, the colors, its aging. It is rich in ingenuity, designed with four game boards locked into one unit. With so much thought put into it, I often wondered how they botched the scoring labels; a ten point inner circle and subsequent five point ring, followed by a circle with no points at all. A noticeable blemish on an otherwise notable board.

Not long ago, Jeremy Tracey from crokinolegameboards.com created a fun and informative Youtube video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoFMHC4frws) explaining the official National Crokinole Association Rules. The refresher allowed for some reflection on the rules and the variants that exist. Enthusiasts of crokinole, like those of baseball, take pride in its traditions and timelessness, and again, like baseball, it has experienced changes that have impacted game play and in the long run made it more enjoyable. So I decided to review the rules from the oldest source that I know; The Rules and Regulations of the Parlor Game Crokinole for M.B. Ross boards.

As far as I can determine, the Ross pamphlet which does not contain a date, may contain the oldest ‘official’ rules of the game. I can’t be certain but this is my defense: 1. M.B. Ross owned the oldest known U.S. patent for crokinole originating in 1880. 2. Some unique phrases that exist in other rule books all appear in this pamphlet, along with a wood cut that includes a unique floating arm demonstrating the fillip. This image appears in countless rule booklets and advertising during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, but in these sources, it was always in a poorer, copied form. 3. Since Ross seems to be the first to commercialize and mass produce the game, he needed to create a guide so people knew how to play once purchased. The origins of crokinole suggest that the game grew organically out of Canada and people were exposed to the game and rules from other players, and as such, the boards were probably made one at a time while the rules were handed down orally and from playing experiences. Now with Ross, you purchased the game first and then learned the rules, thus a need for a guide.

Reading Ross’ rules is similar to reading early baseball rules from the 1800’s, the game is quickly recognizable but you immediately notice differences that would change play and strategy. Let’s look at some of the similarities to today’s version of crokinole and changes that occurred. A quick note on the board and the first similarity; while the rules don’t mention specs, owning a Ross board from the era, I can attest, that the playing surface and circles are within range to today’s recreational boards (more about this board and its discs will be included in a future post).

The Fillip: The booklet describes the generally accepted practice of using the first finger supported between the thumb and ‘first finger’ to snap or fillip the closely placed disc (see the above illustration). But where to shoot? Here is where a twist begins on this basic strategy as the the quote below suggests.

Why? Because it’s about the points! Any decent player knows that the best crokinole shot maximizes your position in or near the twenty circle while knocking your opponent in the ditch. Look at the board illustration and look at the letters. In the booklet, each is assigned a score; A-The center hole, like today is 20 points, but things quickly differ, B-was 10 points (15 today), C-was 5 (now 10) and D-was worth 0 (currently 5). But the Ross rules offer an additional area for points; the ditch. Any opponent’s discs that ended up in the ditch were worth 5 points for you.

So, if you look back at that shot the floating hand is about to take, it wouldn’t make sense in the modern game. First off, the white disc would have been removed because it is on the outer line. No such rule existed then, so it stayed. But why go for that shot if it is in a circle that has no points? Because if the black disc hits the white into the ditch, they earn 5 points and they might just get 5 points if it successfully caroms into the circle labeled C. The rules created different strategies.

Other differences between the Ross and the National Association of Crokinole rules .

Ross Rules	Modern Rules (NCA Rules)
You are obliged to hit an opponent’s disc if on the board, attempt seems to count.	You must hit an opponent’s disc if there is one on the board.
Not required to land disc in inner circle if no opponent’s discs on board or if only your discs are on the board.	Required to land disc in inner circle if no opponent’s discs on board or if only your discs are on the board.
No penalty if you hit your disc(s) and not opponents. (This is assumed and not specifically mentioned in booklet. )	Disc removed if you fail to hit opponent’s disc and any of your other discs are re- moved if incidentally hit as well.
Disc that hits side wall and returns to board remains on board and counts.	Discs that hit side and returns to board are removed but ‘the damage’ remains.
Twenties are counted immediately unless it would result in the game ending. For example if a player had 80 points, and playing to 100 , you would not count it and it would remain on the board until the end of the round, unless your opponent knocked it out during their turn.	All twenties are immediately removed, but point totals are not tallied until the end of the round.
Last circle worth 0 points.	Last circle worth 5 points.
Opponent’s discs in ditch worth 5 points.	Ditch discs worth 0 points.
If your disc is resting in your quadrant on the border line nearest ditch, you may put shooting disc in front of it and flick the disc on the line instead.	A disc on the outermost line would be removed to the ditch.

Similarities that still exist.

Only one player receives points per round based on the difference between the point totals of the players.

A disc resting on a line counts toward the lower point total/circle.

A player cannot move seat or board during a round.

Only player shooting disc can touch the board/table or have disc on board.

A player must shoot from the lines within his/her quadrant.

The following article from January 10, 1889, in The Journal Times, a newspaper from Racine, Wisconsin introduces the citizens of that area to the game and rules of crokinole which are identical to the Ross rules.

To note, the original rules include familiar terms like ditch and discs, but don’t use twenty/center hole (was ‘central recess’) or quadrant (was ‘line in front and short lines’). The rules don’t mention the number of discs (the above article does, however), but the Ross board included a box with 12 of each color and one of each that do not fit in the box (extras?). It is suggested to play to 100.

The rules also state that the 20 must be immediately counted but does not state that the disc be removed. A disc could be knocked out and counted again if it is knocked back in the twenty hole on another shot (can’t simply go in and out on same shot), but can’t be counted again if it was already counted and remained there at the end of the round when adding up the points.

Future rules clean up the attempt to hit an opponent’s disc and make it a requirement when shooting. Having no requirement to land discs in the inner circle when no opponent’s discs are on the board, must have made for some defensively mired games where players hid on their own sides far away from their opponents, protected by the posts. Looking back at other versions of rules, it is easy to see that vagueness was gradually fleshed out to rectify these situations.

For example, by 1900, perhaps even earlier, manufacturers adjusted rules to close one such loophole, or may have done greater research to align with already existing rules. The instructions illustrated below with a copyright date of 1900 offer similar rules to the Ross version, but ditch discs no longer count for the opponent. This booklet also offers an alternative scoring method where the points count from center out: 20, 15, 10, 5 and no points for the ditch with the point difference going to the winner of the round. This should sound more familiar to the modern player, but curiously, it also now includes points (5 points per disc) for each disc in excess on the board beyond your opponent’s discs if you have the most discs on the board. This new wrinkle was added for both scoring methods in this pamphlet.

Other changes will occur which will eventually get us to the complete modern rules, but all players know that many variations still exist and that house rules make for colorful challenges and glimpses into family preferences and probably, past family squabbles.

Looking back at my beautiful board, I take heed to the advice that my wife tells me when I see something that contradicts what I think; “you’re probably wrong.” Yes, once again, I was wrong; those point reminders were accurate based on those early rules. But I did have fun finding out why I was incorrect.

Throughout much of its history, crokinole identifies as a wholesome, family-friendly and benign pastime.  Even the Amish and Mennonites, who normally shun the wasting of time on trivialities, approve of it as a leisure activity.  Most agree crokinole may produce bruised egos, perhaps a sore finger or at worst, a gouged floor from a chair leg, but as oral history suggests, the ‘One Cheek Rule’ was created to rectify even that flaw in the game.

Not everyone was convinced.  The following piece from the Lebanon (PA) Daily News, January 22, 1891, presents a cynic’s view that such games produce violence and just might be the start down the path of degradation.   We can hope that this may be cheeky in nature and satirical but given its origins from the Philadelphia Press and the period, the city still had some draconian measures in place, so we may need to take it at face value.  

As you read, the reference to tiddlywinks might seem odd but in the late 19th century and the rise of the middle class and free time, socializing in one’s parlor around games like tiddlywinks and crokinole was quite common.  Richard W. Tucker (http://tiddlywinks.org/history/tiddlywinks-the-classic-victorian-pastime-1996/) wrote an article on tiddlywinks and its role as an adult-oriented phenomenon during the Victorian Era.  But even the anonymous author found fault with this game as a gateway to more harmful activities.

Another game mentioned, Jenkins, also known as Up Jenkins, was considered a game for social occasions, where the goal was to hide a coin under one’s hands by making distracting noise to muffle the sound of the coin when hitting the table.  According to the author, this could do a number on the hands to the point where you could take on ‘Sullivan.’  A reference to John L. Sullivan, the heavyweight boxing champion of the period.  But even he may not have been able to withstand the punishment of Jenkins or bare-flicking a crokinole disk since he was the first boxing champ that donned gloves.    Jenkins still exists today as a drinking game.

The last game, ‘Brown, Jones and Robinson’ never came to fruition, but exists as a reference to the novel The Struggles Of Brown, Jones And Robinson by Anthony Trollope.  This may be where the anonymous author tips his hand to the nature of his essay since The Struggles was a satirical piece. The unknown author may have been trying to conjure up some disingenuous Victorian outrage that even the Amish couldn’t muster.  Or perhaps the author had the foresight to see a direct link between these games and the eventual evolution toward Twister or Grand Theft Auto.

 

Welcome to The Crokinole Chronicles.  I only recently discovered this great game and have attempted to make up for lost time by delving into all things crokinole.  I watched tournaments with expert players on YouTube envious, purchased a custom board by Willard, converted some friends, indoctrinated my children and have pushed my wife to the brink of insanity by incessantly saying the ‘c’ word. 

What baffles me, is that I never stumbled upon this game prior to my 43rd year on this earth.  I am sure I must have had opportunities to discover this game years ago.  I lived in Buffalo, New York, right across the river from the home of crokinole, Ontario, Canada.  I crossed that border many times; taking school field trips, visiting ‘the Falls,’  and attending performances at the Stratford Festival over several seasons with my English classes at St. Bonaventure University.  I even honeymooned in Stratford for a week, but never ran into crokinole.  Even the band Moxy Fruvous, another Ontario mainstay, which I have seen live, name drops it in their song “King of Spain”  but I never took notice.  And so it goes.

But once I did, I went from obliviousness to outright obnoxiousness.  My wife tried to placate me, after my initial references to it, with a commercially made board.  She did try to make me happy which I love her for, but I knew I wanted the real deal; a tournament style board made by a true blue (red?) Canadian by hand from real maple.  Who cares if I never played and wouldn’t know the difference between a pro board and one for family fun?  I knew I needed it. 

Luckily I discovered Mr. Willard Martin, crokinole craftsman, right before he retired, to fulfill that inexplicable itch.  Only problem, the board created the desire for more.  I combed antique shops, flea markets and online for more.  Fourteen boards are now stuffed behind hutches, hanging on walls, and monopolizing the kids’ playroom.  This doesn’t even include the ephemera, disks, score counter and carrying case acquired along the way.

While all this has satisfied my desire to accrue all things tangible, it didn’t satiate my intellectual curiosity.  Where did this game come from?  Who invented it? How did it evolve over time? The internet gave me some quick answers and provided some excellent resources.  I learned about; the creation story of  one Eckhardt Wettlaufer, 1876 and Ontario, Canada; Tavistock as the heart and cultural center of crokinole; and the Carrom Company, Muzzies, Willard and Hilinski, among others, as craftsmen and manufacturers.  And the past can’t be mentioned without  ‘Mr. Crokinole’, Wayne Kelly, who pioneered historical research when none existed.  His work, The Crokinole Book, is still the book on the subject.  Unfortunately his passing took away a key ambassador and chronicler of the game.

This is where the blog comes into play.   There are still many stories to tell and history to share.  It just needs to be pulled from the ‘ditch,’ flicked and most importantly shared with others.  I don’t know if I’ll ever be good enough to win a tournament or skillful enough to make my own board, but I hope I can contribute to crokinole culture by offering some stories and bringing them to light and give others an opportunity to express their experiences as well.  So please keep playing, enjoy the site and add your stories.  

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•