The queen is the red coin in the centre of the board, and the cover rule is the rule that causes the most arguments. Players pot the queen, celebrate, and then lose it. This guide goes through the rule as played in Carrom by 22Softwares, with every case.
What the rule says
When you pot the queen, you have to cover it. Covering means potting one of your own coins on your very next stroke. If you do, the queen is yours. If you miss, the queen goes back to the centre of the board and you try again later.
The important word is next. Not “soon” and not “during this turn”: the very next stroke you take after the queen goes down.
What counts as a cover
- Potting one of your own coins on the stroke right after the queen.
- Potting your ninth, last coin in the same stroke as the queen. This is the one exception where the same stroke covers.
What does not count
- A coin potted in the same stroke as the queen. It does not cover the queen (except your ninth coin, above).
- A coin of your opponent’s that you pot on the next stroke. Only your own coin covers.
- A stroke that misses. The queen then returns to the centre of the board. A foul on the cover stroke (striker off the board) also sends the queen back, and that stroke’s pots are voided.
The last coin rule
Your last coin cannot go down before the queen is covered (it comes back to the board, with no penalty, and does not keep your turn). In the 29 Game the coin is instead held while you play on for the queen; see the scoring guide.
Why the next stroke matters so much
Because the rule is about the next stroke, the position after you pot the queen decides whether you keep it. The striker is placed again on your baseline, so you can start from any spot along it; you need a coin of yours with a clear line to a pocket from some spot on the baseline, and you need to hit it slowly enough to drop.
That is why careful players decide on the queen before they hit it. They look at the board and ask: if the queen drops, do I have a cover? If the answer is no, they leave the queen and play another shot first.
When to go for the queen
- You already have an own coin lined up near a pocket for the cover.
- From some spot on your baseline you will have a clear line to that coin.
- The shot to the queen is not too hard, so there is little risk of a foul.
If any of these is missing, a safer shot is usually better. Missing the cover returns the queen to the centre, which gives your opponent another chance at it.
When to leave the queen alone
- Your opponent has the next shot and the queen is near a pocket: do not leave it open for them unless you can take it first.
- You have few coins left and all of them are blocked: you may not have a cover.
- The shot needs a hard stroke: a foul voids the stroke and returns one of your coins, if you have any.
The queen in scoring
In the 29 Game, if the side that wins a board also covered the queen, that adds 5 points; the 5 are not added once the winners already have more than 23 points. The scoring is explained in our scoring guide.
A drill to practise covering
- Start a board against the Easy bot.
- Do not touch the queen until you have one of your own coins lined up for a pocket.
- Pot the queen, then take the cover with a medium stroke.
- After each board, count how many queens you covered and how many returned.
Facts checked with the Carrom by 22Softwares team against the game’s rules engine.