Game set up

The game consists of:

• 1 King
• 10 Kubbs
• 6 Throwing batons
• 4 Corner posts

Mark out a rectangular playing field using the corner posts - 8m long by 5m wide is the usual size (the playing field may be smaller or larger depending on the players level of skill).

Place the king upright in the centre of the playing field, and 5 kubbs upright and evenly spaced along each baseline. The playing field should be relatively level, but can be grass, sand, gravel or even snow!


Lets Play
The players are divided into 2 teams, with between 1 and 6 players on each team (equal numbers are not necessary). The teams then take their places behind the baselines.

To decide who goes first, each team throws one baton towards the king. The team whose baton lands closest to the king without touching it starts the game - this is team A. The batons must be held at one end and thrown underarm end-over-end. Helicopter throws are not allowed.

Team A starts by throwing six batons at the kubbs on team B's baseline. These are known as 'baseline kubbs'.

Once team A has thrown all its batons, team B takes its turn. Standing behind its own baseline, team B throws any kubbs knocked over by team A onto team A's half of the playing field (see tip).

Team B has two attempts to get each kubb to land inside team A's half, otherwise team A can place the kubb wherever it likes in its own half provided it is at least one throwing baton's distance from the king or a corner post. Once all the toppled kubbs have been thrown onto team A's half, they are placed upright wherever they have come to rest. These kubbs are now known as 'field kubbs.'

Tip: When throwing the toppled kubbs, attempt to hit other field kubbs. Each kubb that hits a field kubb may be stacked on top of it to form a tower. This makes it easier to knock over more than one kubb with a single baton throw. This rule does not apply if you hit a baseline kubb with a field kubb.


Team B now takes its turn to throw the batons. Team B must knock over the field kubbs in team A's half before it can knock over the baseline kubbs. If any baseline kubbs are knocked over before the last field kubb has fallen, then these should be righted.

Once team B has thrown all its batons, team A takes its turn to throw any toppled kubbs into team B's half and then tries to knock them over before attacking the baseline kubbs.

Note: should team B have failed to knock over all of the field kubbs on team A's half of the playing field, then team A may advance and throw from a temporary baseline level with the forward most field kubb. The baseline reverts back to its normal position once this kubb has been toppled. This rule does not apply when throwing the field kubbs, which must always be thrown from the original baseline.

Play continues in this way until one team manages to knock over all of the opposition's kubbs. They must now knock over the king to win the game. The king can only be knocked down with a throw from the baseline. The team must have at least 2 throwing batons remaining (this avoids the game being decided on the first round of throws).

Note: If a team knocks down the king before all its opponents kubbs have been knocked down then it loses the game!