The Mayday Games Blog

Crokinole is an all-age board game of skill with a rich history and played all over the globe. It originated in Canada, with its first board created in 1875. The game can be casual or competitive, with players taking turns flicking discs on a smooth wooden board lined with pegs to score points. The game's strategy comes in when players attempt to master particular shots to stay ahead of their competitors. Around the world, friends and families have played comparable games for centuries. Here are some interesting international board games similar to Crokinole we found.

Pichenotte

Pichenotte is not a game in and of itself, but is often used as a general term for the family of games similar to Crokinole with its disc-flicking characteristics and wooden board for gameplay. The name comes from a French-Canadian word meaning ‘flick.’

Carrom

Carrom originated in India and is widely popular throughout South Asia. It is easy to find players enjoying the game in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal and the Maldives. After World War One, its popularity reached far past the countries of the masses and players in the United Kingdom have been enjoying the game since the early 20th century. Carrom uses a square board with nets in each corner. Each player has a different color of disks, and uses a striker to “pocket” all of their pieces by knocking them into the corners, as well as the queen piece.

Pitchnut

Pitchnut is another tabletop game comparable to Crokinole and Carrom with a minor difference. This game's mechanics lie somewhere between pocket billiards and air hockey. It has a French-Canadian origin, but unlike its predecessors, there isn't any record of mass production for the game. All boards for Pitchnut are handmade, and while it is not patented, the name is trademarked in the United States. There are two variations to the game, with the American version of this game having rules similar to eight-ball pool. The name Pitchnut probably comes from a mispronunciation of Pichenotte.

Novuss

Novuss dates back to 1925, originates from Latvia and Estonia, and is so prevalent in those countries that it is a national sport. It relates closely to pocket billiards and Carrom. In 1930 it made its way to other countries by seamen from Northern Europe. It was a shipboard game, and Latvian sailors would bring it into local pubs while visiting ports of England. For this game, the board sits on a stand, allowing pockets to hang and catch the pieces during gameplay.

Chapayev

The Russian game of Chapayev is a hybrid version of checkers. Its pieces are among games similar to Crokinole, with billiard and table shuffleboard commonalities. The game adds some checkers strategy and is widespread throughout the territory of the former USSR. It gets its name from Vasily Chapayev, the famous Russian Civil War hero. The object of this game is to knock the opponent's game pieces off the board.

Shove ha'penny

Shove ha'penny is a game players enjoy predominantly in local pubs around the United Kingdom. Players slide metal discs the size of a coin across a wooden board that looks similar to a tabletop shuffleboard. The size of the discs is the same as the British halfpenny (or ha’penny) coins, which is how its name came to be. The pub game has its unique etiquette and specialized jargon that is all in fun. It has colorful words for particular scoring opportunities and penalties for situations like wetting the board with a drink ring.

Pitrush

Pitrush is a whimsical Hungarian family board game. Players flick their discs to occupy as many pits in the board as possible with two different speed modes. The fast mode, or Arena Mode, requires players to flick their discs simultaneously. For more tactical gameplay, Contest Mode requires players to take individual turns. It is a terrific game for those who enjoy games similar to Crokinole and Carrom.

Table Shuffleboard

Table shuffleboard, also known as American shuffleboard, is another wooden table game in which players use pucks rather than discs that they must push with their hand directly down a long table for scoring. The boards are generally between 9 and 22 feet long, and cue sticks are prohibited. The game dates back to the 1500s, first appearing in pubs and parlors across Great Britain. The original name for this game was "shove a penny," describing the general action of the game.

Sjoelbak

Sjoelbak originates back in the late 19th century. The wooden tabletop game is popular in Holland and Belgium and has unique arches at one end of the table. It is another strategy game with 30 discs for players to attempt to get an even number of discs at the end of the board for scoring. Handcrafted boards for family members of several generations appear in many local social events, although there are occasional sightings in Britain and the United States. A man named Jakko Schmidt introduced the game to Germany, and as its popularity grew, the name became known as Jakkolo.

Our Final Choice of Games Similar to Crokinole: Klask

Klask is a simple Danish board game from the creative mind of carpenter Mikkel Bertelsen, introduced in 2014. The Danish name means "slap" and comes from the sound the pieces make when falling on the board. It is a six-round two-player game that has earned positive reviews due to its similarity to air hockey and tabletop football. With its simplicity, there is still strategy to the game. Like Crokinole, Klask features an impressive wooden playing board; however, players control magnetic discs in the game to move pieces around.

A fantastic range of strategy games worldwide offer the same enjoyment and level of complexity as Crokinole. For centuries, family and friends have gathered around a small wooden board with a few pieces to enjoy the game and others like them to have a great time and enjoy each other's company.