Crokinole

Goal

Two players take turns flicking their discs toward the centre of a round board. At the end of each round, the discs left in play score according to their zone: 15 (central circle, guarded by eight posts), 10 and 5. A disc that falls into the centre hole is worth 20.

How it works

• Each player has 8 discs (12 in the parlour version) and shoots from the outer line of their quarter of the board.
• Compulsory contact: if there are opposing discs on the board, your shot must hit one, either directly or through one of your own discs. Otherwise the shot disc is removed, along with any of your discs it moved.
• If there are no opposing discs, your disc (or a disc it touches) must finish in the 15 circle or touch it; otherwise it is removed.
• A disc that touches the outer line or falls into the ditch is out of play. A disc resting on a line counts for the lower zone.
• Scoring: the round goes to the player with the most points, who records the difference. First to 100 points wins. The first shooter alternates each round.

Controls

• Place: drag your disc along the line, or turn the “Position” wheel.
• Aim: drag across the board (with a finger, the movement turns the aim; with a mouse, it follows the cursor). Tap a disc to aim at it. Fine aim: wheel or ← → arrows.
• Shoot: grab your disc and pull back to set the power, then release. The gauge works too. Keyboard: ↑ ↓ for power, Shift + ← → for position, Space to shoot.
• While the discs are sliding, tap the board to speed things up.

About the AI

The AI uses exactly the same physics as you. It simulates hundreds of shots: direct or glancing takeouts on each opposing disc, placements sheltered behind the posts, attempts at the 20, and a systematic sweep of the angles. Each result is evaluated: round points, discs exposed to your reply (open shooting lines), and discs it can dislodge later. The best shots are refined, tested under the execution noise of its level and, at Master level, measured against your best simulated reply.