Kubb

This article is about kubb the game. For the band, see Kubb (band).

A game underway

Kubb (pronounced [kʉb] in Swedish or [kub] in Gutnish) is a lawn game where the object is to knock over wooden blocks by throwing wooden sticks at them. Kubb can be simply described as a combination of bowling and horseshoes. Today's version originated on the island of Gotland, Sweden.^{[citation needed]}

Rules vary from country to country and from region to region, but the ultimate object of the game is to knock the "king" over, before the opponent does. This, combined with the fact that there is a certain level of strategy that can be used by players, has led some players and kubb fans to nickname the game "Viking chess." However, unlike chess, if a player or team knocks over the king before achieving their objectives, that player/team immediately loses the game. Some games have been known to last for hours. The game can be played on a variety of surfaces such as sand, concrete, grass, or even ice. Kubb is a good game for children (under supervision), although in such cases, the 8-metre pitch length (specified in some instructions), is often shortened.

History

Although it is often claimed that the game dates back to the Viking Age and has survived on Gotland, there doesn't appear to be any firm evidence of this. The Föreningen Gutnisk Idrott ("Society of Gotland Games"), formed in 1912, does not list kubb as one of the traditional games from Gotland. There is anecdotal evidence of games called kubb being played in various places in Sweden in the early 20th century, but how similar those rules were to the ones used today, is unknown.

The game in its modern conception became popular in the 1990s when commercial kubb sets were first manufactured. The key feature of the game (opposing teams throwing) is shared by the games kyykkä and bunnock, both of which come from Karelia or neighbouring areas. The game has now gained international interest, and an annual World Championship has been held since 1995 on Gotland. Large kubb tournaments are now located throughout Europe and the U.S. On December 13th, 2011, Eau Claire, WI became The Kubb Capital of North America.

Game pieces

A typical set

There are typically twenty-three game pieces used in kubb:

• Ten Kubbs, rectangular wooden blocks 15 cm tall and 7 cm square on the end.
• One King, a larger wooden piece 30 cm tall and 9 cm square on the end, sometimes adorned with a crown design on the top.
• Six Sticks, wooden batons around 30 cm long and anywhere from 3–5 cm in diameter.
• Six Stakes, or other markers, to designate the corners of the pitch and the centerline.

There is considerable variation in the design of these pieces. In some sets, every piece apart from the King has a circular cross-section, whereas in others, every piece has a square cross-section.

In Nordic countries the game is widely available, but elsewhere it is not well known, so most purchases are via the Web.

Setup

Kubb is typically played on a rectangular pitch approximately 5 m by 8 m. Although there are no official rules as to the size of the field, the dimensions can be altered for younger players or to accommodate faster games. Typically the pitch is grass, but kubb can also be played on sand, snow, or dirt. The pitch should always be level, with no more than a 3 inch drop from one end, or one side, to the other.

Stakes are driven into the ground at the corners of the pitch. No other markers are used to demarcate the field's boundaries. Often, and always in tournaments, stakes are used to designate the centerline as well. The narrow ends are called "baselines." The king is placed in the centre of the pitch, halfway between baselines. An imaginary line drawn through the king and parallel to the two baselines divides the field into two halves. The kubbs are set up across each baseline, five to a side.

Rules

Kubb is played between two teams, which may consist of only one person per team.

A decorated Kubb set

There are two phases for each team's turn:

1. Team A throws the six sticks (called Kastpinnar or just pinnar), from their baseline, at their opponent's lined-up kubbs (called Baseline kubbs). Throws must be under-handed, and the sticks must spin end over end. Throwing sticks overhand, sideways or spinning them side-to-side (helicopter) is not allowed.
2. Kubbs that are successfully knocked down by Team A are then thrown by Team B onto Team A's half of the pitch, and stood on end. These newly thrown kubbs are called field kubbs. Deciding where in the opponent's half to throw the field kubbs is a very important part of the strategy - as a rule of thumb, the more one has to return, the further back one should throw them. However, the key objective is to keep them close to each other (as to be able to hit more than one with a single throw of the pinnar).

If a kubb is thrown out of play, i.e. outside the boundary markers or not beyond the middle line (Note: all the kubb must be out to count as being out of play), then one more attempt is given. If this also goes out, the kubb can be placed anywhere in the target half by the opposing team as long as it is at least one pinnar length from a corner marker or the King. If a thrown kubb knocks over an existing baseline or field kubb, or hits a field kubb that was also just thrown, then the kubbs are stacked upright at the location of where they hit.

Play then changes hands, and Team B throws the sticks at Team A's kubbs, but must first knock down any standing field kubbs. If a baseline kubb is knocked down before the remaining field kubbs, the baseline kubb is returned to its upright position. (Field kubbs that right themselves due to the momentum of the impact are considered knocked down. Also kubbs are considered knocked down if they end up tilting and relying on a thrown pinnar for support). Again, baseline kubbs that are knocked down are thrown back over onto the opposite half of the field and then stood. Some players prefer to remove field kubbs that have been knocked down, while others leave them lying in the field of play. At this point markers (e.g. coins) can be placed on the remaining baseline kubbs so they are not confused with nearby field kubbs. In New Zealand, knocking down a baseline kubb before all field kubbs are down would result in the throwing team forfeiting the rest of their turn.

If either team does not knock down all field kubbs before their turn is over, the kubb closest to the centerline now represents the opposite team's baseline, and throwers may step up to that line to throw at their opponent's kubbs. This rule applies only to throwing the pinnar at the opposite team's field and baseline kubbs; fallen kubbs are thrown from the original baseline, as are attempts to knock over the king.

Play continues in this fashion until a team is able to knock down all kubbs on one side, from both the field and the baseline. If that team still has sticks left to throw, they now attempt to knock over the king. If a thrower successfully topples the king, they have won the game.

If at any time during the game the king is knocked down by accident, unless by a newly thrown kubb, the offending team immediately loses the game.

Victors are typically determined by playing best out of three.

For informal play between players of widely differing abilities, such as an adult and a child it is permissible to shorten the width of the arena on the child's opponent's side, making it easier for the child to hit the kubbs, and it is also permissible to move the king closer to, but not behind, the child's line. Also, one team may get more sticks than the other.

Kubb form demonstration at the 2009 Peterson Midwest Match

Tournaments

The Kubb World Championship is held annually on the island of Gotland, Sweden. There are also numerous other tournaments throughout Europe (Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Italy and more. Most countries have their own national championship tournament.

Some of these other kubb tournaments in Europe include:

• Da Kubbtournament Le Hjerpås held annually in Järpås, Sweden.
• European Championship in Berlin
• UK tournament held every year near Bristol, England, representing European Kubb players.
• Dutch Championship held annually in Nijeveen, The Netherlands
• Kubb Open Gneven - annually winter and summer tournaments in Gneven, Germany
• Spring tournament in Stockholm, Sweden Kubbistan, tournament held annually since 2008, organized by The Axis of Evil Kubb Team in Stockholm, Sweden.
• Italian Championship in different location every year in Italy

Tournaments in the U.S. have exploded since 2007, especially in the Midwest. In 2012, the Midwest tournament list includes Eau Claire, WI; Minneapolis, MN; Rockford, IL; Decorah, IA; Appleton, WI; Des Moines, IA; Dallas, WI; and Madison, WI.

Links to some of these tournaments in the United States include:

• U.S. National Kubb Championship held annually in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
• Fall Kubb Klassic Tournament in Des Moines, IA
• Tournaments in Round Lake, Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Chicago, Illinois
• Southern Illinois Summer Showdown Tournament held in June in Carbondale
• Madison Midsommar Kubb Tournament held in June in Madison, Wisconsin.

The Australian Championships are held in Geelong every November.

See also

• Tournament Of Knights, a similar Swedish game using balls, wooden blocks and flags.
• Game of physical skill
• Mölkky, also known as Smite, Finska, Klop and Scattles
• Aunt Sally
• Washers
• Bunnock
• Finnish skittles

External links

Magazines and forums

• Kubbnation, the magazine for the game of kubb (by Wisconsin Kubb)
• Kubb sub-forum at Norden Folk's Domain forum
• Kubb sub-forum at Tossing Games forum
• Kubb at the Open Directory Project

Local clubs

• Fox Valley Kubb (Wisconsin)
• Des Moines Kubb Club (Iowa, United States)
• Illinois State Kubb League (United States)
• Southern Illinois Kubb Club (United States)
• Wisconsin Kubb U.S. National Kubb Championship, Kubbnation Magazine, list of tournaments
• Kubb Gneven (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany)
• Minnesota Kubb (United States)
• Madison Kubb (Madison, Wisconsin, United States)

General information

• Build Your Own Kubb Lawn Game Set
• Official U.S. National Championship Rules at Des Moines Kubb
• Dan Eskildsen's personal photo album including photos of people playing Kubb
• Kubb Rules & Building Info