Table skittles is a game in which a ball or spinning top is used to knock over skittles on a small board, usually placed on a table. Table skittles are almost always made of wood.
Overview
![Skittles - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Skittles_-_geograph.org.uk_-_153273.jpg)
Table skittles are often a small scale imitation of normal
skittles
Skittles may refer to:
* Skittles (confectionery), a brand of fruit-flavor chewy candy, distributed by Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
*'' Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical''
* Skittles (sport), the game from which bowling originated
* Skittles (ch ...
(e.g. in terms of the size of lanes, skittles, balls), and like
minigolf, some are considered a children's version of it. There are different forms of tables skittles:
* Devil Among the Tailors. A traditional English pub game dating from the 18th century. A simple table skittles games has a string with a small skittle ball attached to a
gallows-like post. When the ball is struck it swings in a circle or back and forth. A player's score is based on the skittles knocked over in each turn. In some games, the fallen skittles are returned to their original position by hand; in others, the skittles are attached to strings and returned to their positions by a mechanism that pulls them.
* Hood Skittles. A throwing version of table skittles played in English pubs, especially in the counties of
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
,
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
and
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...
. Originally, small circular cheeses were thrown at the 9 skittles. Now leather discs (still called ‘cheeses’) are used and thrown at a table that is specially equipped with padding and a safety net, resembling an armchair.
* Tischkegel ("Table Skittles"). German and Austrian game in which players spin a top down a slightly sloping board towards nine skittles. Various forms are played in south Germany, the
Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...
, the
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
and
Upper Austria
Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...
. Variants include: Tyrolean skittles and Merano skittles.
* Garmisch skittles. In Garmisch-Partenkirchen a variant is played in which a ball is struck with a stick towards the skittles.
Hood skittles
In the
English Midlands
The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...
, specifically
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
,
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...
,
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
,
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
and east
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
, nine skittles are placed on a hooded
table
Table may refer to:
* Table (furniture), a piece of furniture with a flat surface and one or more legs
* Table (landform), a flat area of land
* Table (information), a data arrangement with rows and columns
* Table (database), how the table data ...
, hence the name "hood skittles". The hood skittles table is leather bound, and has leather- to the sides and the back, with a curved hood of leather or netting stretched up from the rear like a
pram, approximately a metre over the of the table. Behind the area where the skittles are laid out in a diamond is a lower surface or trough. The table playing surface stands about 1 metre high and the thrower about 3 metres from the front of the table when in a pub around
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
or
Rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
, or about 3.3 metres when playing in Northamptonshire or Buckinghamshire. The player throws
oblate
In Christianity (especially in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Methodist traditions), an oblate is a person who is specifically dedicated to God or to God's service.
Oblates are individuals, either laypersons or clergy, normally livi ...
"cheeses" rather than
spherical balls, similar to those used in the game of
bowls
Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...
.
The skittles are about 15 cm high, circular at the bottom but widening higher up then tapering to a shallow point, which leaves them slightly top heavy. Traditionally the skittles and the cheeses are made of English boxwood. The cheeses measure about 10 cm across, and 4 cm high, one and a half inches high.
A player's turn consists of three throws, with the skittles set up in a diamond pattern. If all nine are toppled, either in a single throw or as a combination of the first two throws, they are reset and the player uses their remaining cheeses to continue knocking them down. One point is scored for each skittle toppled. If the player topples all nine on each of the first two throws, the skittles are reset again for the third throw, allowing a potential maximum score of 27 points on a single turn.
It is permitted for the players to bounce the cheese off the cushioned side walls and in some places bouncing the cheese off the rear wall is also permitted. In most versions, the toppled skittles are left where they lie while the player continues to throw the rest of their cheeses, though in some areas in Leicestershire and Rutland players remove dead skittles before each new throw. Once the player has thrown all three cheeses his total is noted and the skittles are all set up afresh for the next player.
The area around the table where one or two members of the opposition stand in order to manage the table (i.e., standing up skittles once three throws have been made or removing dead skittles) is known as the woodyard.
Tyrolean and Merano table skittles
This sport is particularly well-known in
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
(
Mering
Mering is a municipality in the district Aichach-Friedberg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the river Paar.
First mentioned in records in 1021, Mering has a long history.
The growing town with its nearly 15,000 inhabitants (2021) profits f ...
),
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
(Tyrolean table skittles),
South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous province
, image_skyline =
, image_alt ...
(Merano table skittles) and
Upper Austria
Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...
, but also in Baden-Württemberg (
Wolfach
Wolfach ( gsw, label= Low Alemannic, Wolfä) is a town in the Black Forest and part of the Ortenaukreis in Baden-Württemberg (Germany). It is a well-known spa town.
Geography
Geographical Position
Wolfach lies where the two rivers Wolf and ...
).
Construction
![Tischkegelbahn](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Tischkegelbahn.jpg)
The table skittles alley consists of a sloping, framed playing surface, the table skittles board. This is usually placed on a waist-high table. The game is played with a wooden spinning top, which is used to try to knock down as many of the nine wooden pins as possible.
The dimensions of the board are 82 cm x 41 cm. The frame is 3 cm wide. The actual playing area is 67 × 35 cm. Seen from the player in the direction of the bowling, the lane is inclined about 1° downwards, from left to right the lane is inclined about 4°. That is, the spinning top usually moves in semi-circular sweeps toward the higher right-hand side. The skittles are about 6cm apart from one another. The skittle layout forms a square, at 45° to the sides of the board, with a side length of 12 cm. These values differ regionally.
![Tischkegelkreisel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Tischkegelkreisel.jpg)
The track is often made of
larch or other
hardwood
Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...
. In order to achieve a visually appealing surface, it may be covered with paper, for example. A glass plate is mounted on top. There is a zone marking the position of the top when starting it spinning. If you start outside this zone, the spin is invalid. At the other end are the skittles, whose position is marked by 9 dots for setting up. At the far end is a depression where the fallen skittles land (although they often remain on the playing surface).
Top and skittles
![Tischkegel kegel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Tischkegel_kegel.jpg)
The spinning top is made of wood and is usually 6 cm high and 4 cm wide at the bottom of the bulge. The top is weighted with lead to keep the centre of gravity low. In order to achieve better top properties, it is also reinforced horizontally with 4 nails on each side. The top should not be wider than the spacing of the cones (about 6cm).
A
skittle is also about 6 cm high and about 2.3 cm wide at the widest point.
Game
The player stands at the front of the table and usually holds the top between thumb and forefinger to spin it. The top then moves in semi-circular arcs or straight towards the cones. Even if the top passes through, the spin is counted.
Game Variants
* Merano table skittles
* Verflixte9
* Damischer Hansl
Upper Austrian table skittles
In the region of southern
Upper Austria
Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...
table skittles is called Drauln. The word is derived from the dialect word for circling, turning (''Draul''). The game used to be called Pumwoilfaln.
''Drauln'' is an entertaining game in which skill and luck often play a part. Depending on how the top is spun, a distinction is made between a 'curved spin' (''Bogenschub'') and a classic 'straight spin' (''Geradenschub'').
Scoring
![Tischkegelspiel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Tischkegelspiel.jpg)
Scoring is the same as in full size
skittles
Skittles may refer to:
* Skittles (confectionery), a brand of fruit-flavor chewy candy, distributed by Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
*'' Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical''
* Skittles (sport), the game from which bowling originated
* Skittles (ch ...
. The foremost pin doubles the number of points. If three are hit in a row, they count as nine. If all the skittles fall, it is a 'sow' (''Sau'') and scores 36 points. If only the innermost one remains, it is a 'little wreath' (''Kranzl'') and scores 24 points.
Variants
* ''
Schanzeln
Schanzeln or Schanz'ln is a variation of the European skittles game of Kegeln, at which very high wagers were often placed, which is why it ended up on the list of games prohibited in Austria-Hungary in 1904. One enthusiastic fan of this game was ...
'': Three spins per player, points are added.
* ''Abräumen'' ("sweeping off"): Three spins, with no repositioning between spins. If there is a tie for most, there is a playoff. The next round begins with fresh stakes and all players (not just those who came first) can play again. This goes on until there is a winner.
Tournaments
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
s are held regularly and runs as follows: there is a ''Stand'' in which 5 spins may be played (with or without money). The points are added up. Three trial spins are allowed before each new game. If the player likes the trial spin, he can count this as the first game and waive the rest. The three best ''Stands'' are added up. The winner is one with the most points over three best ''Stands''. A special feature is the writing down (''owischreibe''). If you are playing a ''Stand'' and have made a particularly good spin, you can abandon the current ''Stand'' and start the new ''Stand'' with this spin.
Cleaning the alley
Since some players spin using ashes or chalk to achieve a better grip, for example with wet fingers, the track repeatedly gets dirty. It track is usually cleaned with
schnaps
Schnapps ( or ) or schnaps is a type of alcoholic beverage that may take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and "flavored liqueurs" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to neu ...
(
Obstler). You can also use
window cleaner
Window cleaning, or window washing, is the exterior cleaning of architectural glass used for structural, lighting, or decorative purposes. It can be done manually, using a variety of tools for cleaning and access. Technology is also employed and ...
, with the disadvantage that the alley sometimes becomes too slick or slippery. The track is then usually cleaned with kitchen roll.
Garmisch table skittles
A regional variation in the area around
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the O ...
(known locally as
Werdenfelser Land) is what is known here as ''Stoßbuddeln'' (or ''Stossbuddeln''). Using a
cue stick
A cue stick (or simply cue, more specifically billiards cue, pool cue, or snooker cue) is an item of sporting equipment essential to the games of pool, snooker and carom billiards. It is used to strike a ball, usually the . Cues are tapered stick ...
the player hits a ball in order to hit as many of the nine pins on a miniature bowling alley as possible.
The first table of this kind was probably the one made around 1940 in a coffee house in Switzerland.
[{{cite web, title=Marigniens dans le Nord Pas de Calais, periodical=Jeux d’autrefois – Location Animation Jeux anciens en bois, publisher=, url=http://jeuxdautrefois.free.fr/, url-status=, format=, access-date=2018-04-25, archive-url=, archive-date=, last=francois goudaert, date=, year=, language=, pages=, quote=] This even has a manual resetting facility.
References
External links
''Table Skittles - History and Useful Information''
Games of physical skill