How to Play Kubb

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If you’re looking for a classic lawn game that’s easy to learn but has a lot of strategy, Kubb is the perfect thing to play with your friends and family. In Kubb, or “Viking Chess,” 2 teams try to knock down wooden blocks on the field by tossing batons at them. You can play Kubb with 2–12 people of any age, so it’s perfect for your next outdoor gathering. You’re probably excited to get started, so keep reading for all of the setup and rules you’ll need to play.

Things You Should Know

  • The goal of the game is to be the first team to knock over the other team's wooden kubbs and the king.
  • Set up a field to play on. Each team will set up 5 kubbs at the edge of their side of the field. Place the king in the middle of the field.
  • Determine who goes first by tossing the baton towards the king. The team with the closest baton goes first.
  • Toss batons and try to topple the other teams' kubbs. To throw, stand behind the baseline on your team's side, and hold the baton on one end so that it spins vertically in the air.
Section 1 of 7:

Objective

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  1. Each team starts the game with 5 wooden blocks called kubbs on your side of the field. Your team will toss batons to try and knock over the kubbs on the opposing team’s side of the field. If you’re able to knock over all of the other team’s kubbs followed by the king piece in the middle of the field, then you win the game. [1]
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Section 2 of 7:

Setup

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  1. A Kubb set comes with 4 wooden stakes to mark the corners of the field. Find a flat rectangular area outside and measure out the size of the field, pushing the stakes into the ground at the corners. The short ends of the field are known as the baselines and the longer edges are known as the sidelines . [2]
    • Some Kubb sets come with string or rope to loop around the stakes and clearly mark the edges of the field.
    • Variation: If you’re playing with kids or want an easier game, make the field 6 by 4 metres (6.6 yd × 4.4 yd) instead. [3]
  2. Kubbs are the 10 rectangular wooden blocks that are 7 by 7 by 15 centimetres (2.8 × 2.8 × 5.9 in). [4] Each team starts the game with 5 kubbs on their side of the field. Evenly space 5 of the kubbs along each baseline at the ends of the field. Leave about 30 centimetres (0.98 ft) of space between the kubbs and the corner stakes. [5]
    • The kubbs that are standing on the baseline are called the base kubbs throughout the game.
  3. The king is the larger wooden block that has a pointed crown on top. A team needs to knock the king down at the end of the game to win. Find the middle of the field and set the king vertically so the crown is pointing up. [6]
    • The king sits on the centerline that runs parallel to the baselines and splits the field into 2 halves. One half of the field belongs to Team A and the other half belongs to Team B.
  4. Split into 2 separate teams and choose 1 player to make your starting throw. The chosen players each take 1 of the wooden batons and stand behind the baseline on their side of the field. At the same time, each player tosses the baton with an underhand throw toward the king. The team with the player who threw the baton closest to the king without knocking it over becomes Team A and attacks first. The other team becomes Team B. [7]
    • If players tie for the closest, re-throw the batons until there’s a clear winner.
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Section 3 of 7:

Team A’s First Attack

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  1. Team A takes all 6 of the wooden batons and stands behind the baseline on their side of the field. Then, Team A throws 1 baton at a time towards the base kubbs on Team B’s side of the field. [8]
    • Hold the baton by one end when you throw it so it spins vertically end-over-end. Throwing a baton so it spins horizontally like a helicopter blade is not allowed.
    • If you’re playing a 1-vs-1 game of Kubb, you get to throw all of the batons. If you have multiple people on your team, try to split the batons evenly between the players so everyone gets a chance to throw one.
Section 4 of 7:

Team B’s First Attack

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  1. If Team A knocked down any kubbs during their turn, Team B picks up the ones that fell over and leaves any that are still standing. Players on Team B stand behind their baseline and take turns tossing the kubbs onto Team A’s side of the field with an underhand throw. [9]
    • Players have to knock down the kubbs that they just threw, so try to land them in a spot you think will be easy to hit with batons later on.
    • If a kubb goes out of bounds or doesn’t cross the centerline, players get one more chance to throw it in bounds. If it still lands on the wrong side of the field or out of bounds, it becomes a penalty kubb and Team A can place it wherever they want on their side of the field.
  2. After Team B tosses the kubbs, Team A goes out into the field and stands them up vertically. They can choose to tip the kubb onto either end as long as it stays in bounds. The kubbs that are in the field instead of on the baseline are now called field kubbs . [10]
    • If a kubb hits another one already in the field when it’s thrown, stand both of them up where they come to rest.
    • If a thrown kubb knocks over a base kubb, return the base kubb to its original position standing up. [11]
  3. Just like Team A’s first attack, Team B stands behind the baseline on their side of the field while they throw batons. Players should aim for the field kubbs on Team A’s side first. Then the players try to hit the kubbs that are still on the baseline. [12]
    • If a player knocks over a base kubb before toppling all of the field kubbs, the throw doesn’t count and Team A stands the kubb back up in its original position.
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Section 5 of 7:

Attacking on Future Turns

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  1. Every round, the team that’s attacking collects any fallen kubbs on their side of the field. Then, they throw the kubbs across the centerline to the other team’s side. After the other team stands the kubbs up, the attacking team throws the 6 batons trying to knock down all of the field kubbs and base kubbs. [13]
    • Even though each team starts with 5 kubbs, teams may end up with more or less on their side of the field throughout the game.
  2. When a team attacks, they gain an advantage for the turn if they still have field kubbs on their side of the field. The team finds the field kubb on their side of the field that's closest to the king. A temporary baseline runs through the middle of that field kubb’s base across the field. Players can stand anywhere on the field behind the temporary baseline when they’re throwing batons for the turn. [14]
    • You’ll only use the temporary baseline when you throw your batons. When you toss kubbs to the other side, stand behind the baseline marked by the stakes.
    • Temporary baselines may change each turn as players knock down field kubbs.
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Section 6 of 7:

How to Win

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  1. A team must knock down all of the field kubbs before they knock over the baseline kubbs. If the team knocks over the kubbs and still has batons left over, the team can aim for the king in the middle. If they’re able to knock the king over, then the team wins! [15]
    • If a team knocks the king over at any other point in the game, they automatically lose, so be careful as you throw kubbs or batons.
    • Players need to stand behind the baseline between the stakes any time they throw batons at the king, even if there’s a field kubb standing up on their side of the field.
  2. After the first set, teams switch the sides of the field they’re playing on and reset the kubbs back to the baseline. Teams continue playing sets until one team wins a total of 2 sets. [16]
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Section 7 of 7:

Strategy

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  1. When you’re tossing kubbs, try to land them as close as you can to each other. When the other team stands the kubbs up, there won’t be a lot of distance between them and you may be able to knock multiple over with a single baton. [17]
    • Knocking over multiple kubbs at a time helps you save batons so you have more chances to throw them at the king. For example, if a team only has 3 field kubbs and you knock them all down with 1 baton, you have 5 batons left for throwing at the king and possibly winning the game.
  2. If there are multiple field kubbs on the other team’s side of the field, focus on the ones that are nearest to the king. You don’t want the other team to have an advantage when they’re throwing their batons, so knocking the closest kubbs down pushes back their temporary baseline. [18]
    • Try landing kubbs close to the centerline when you toss them, but be careful. If you can’t knock them down on your turn, the other team will be really close when they throw to your side of the field.
  3. If you get the chance to put a penalty kubb down, think strategically about where the other team has had a tough time aiming. You could place the penalty kubb directly behind the king, back near the baseline, or on a sideline away from other kubbs. [19]
    • Anytime you place a penalty kubb, you must position it at least one baton-length away from the corner stakes or king.
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      Warnings

      • Wait to throw kubbs or batons until all the players are standing away from the field so you don’t accidentally hit someone. [20]
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      • Trying to distract the other team while they’re throwing is not allowed, so be respectful as you wait for your team’s turn. [21]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.kubbunited.com/rules-of-kubb
      2. ↑ https://www.kubbvm.com/rules/english.pdf
      3. ↑ https://cdn.moble.com/w/660/127751/file/Kubb-Rule-Card-10-JUN-2014.pdf
      4. ↑ https://www.kubbvm.com/rules/english.pdf
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/ffJB_31TS_8?t=17
      6. ↑ https://www.kiwicamping.co.nz/Documents/4882_Kubb%20Instruct.pdf
      7. ↑ https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55ba12b5e4b0f2c56aefa88b/t/55d25512e4b06f52f9e7b0e8/1439847698320/UK_National_Kubb_Championship_Rules_v0-3.pdf
      8. ↑ https://gameshire.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Kubb.pdf
      9. ↑ https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55ba12b5e4b0f2c56aefa88b/t/55d25512e4b06f52f9e7b0e8/1439847698320/UK_National_Kubb_Championship_Rules_v0-3.pdf
      1. ↑ https://www.kubbvm.com/rules/english.pdf
      2. ↑ https://www.kiwicamping.co.nz/Documents/4882_Kubb%20Instruct.pdf
      3. ↑ https://gameshire.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Kubb.pdf
      4. ↑ https://www.kiwicamping.co.nz/Documents/4882_Kubb%20Instruct.pdf
      5. ↑ https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55ba12b5e4b0f2c56aefa88b/t/55d25512e4b06f52f9e7b0e8/1439847698320/UK_National_Kubb_Championship_Rules_v0-3.pdf
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/ffJB_31TS_8?t=70
      7. ↑ https://gameshire.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Kubb.pdf
      8. ↑ https://www.kiwicamping.co.nz/Documents/4882_Kubb%20Instruct.pdf
      9. ↑ https://www.cadl.org/application/files/4115/5628/9887/Kubb_Rules.pdf
      10. ↑ https://ohiokubb.com/penalty-kubb-placement-strategy/
      11. ↑ https://gameshire.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Kubb.pdf
      12. ↑ https://www.kubbeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/EKC_2018_Ruleset_1.0_ekc.pdf

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