Kubb Rules & Field Dimensions: How to Play 'Viking Chess'

What is this game?

Kubb is a throwing and territory game long played on the Swedish island of Gotland. Two teams take turns throwing wooden batons to topple the opponent's blocks (kubbs), and the team that finally topples the central King wins. The goal is simple, but the order of play makes it surprisingly deep.

Kubb is often sold as "Viking Chess", but there is no historical evidence for a Viking origin. The earliest known record of the name "kubb" for this game dates from 1931, when a Gotlandic ethnologist noted it on the island of Fårö, just north of Gotland, and the game became a local craze in the 1980s. In 1995 a tournament was started in Rone, Gotland, the Kubb World Championship (VM i Kubb), which is still held every summer. In the United States, the U.S. National Kubb Championship has been held in Eau Claire, Wisconsin since 2007.

Animation showing a wooden throwing baton spinning through the air to knock over the opponent's rectangular wooden blocks (kubbs) on a grass field

Top-down kubb pitch: a green rectangle with a dashed centerline and an orange square (king) in the middle, five green squares (team A) and five dark grey squares (team B) on the baselines. Green arrow 8 m, dark grey arrow 5 m, orange arrow 4 m to the king

Figure: The green arrow is the length (8 m), the dark grey arrow the width (5 m), and the orange arrow the distance from a baseline to the king (4 m). The king and kubbs are drawn larger than scale.

Kubb vs Mölkky

Both are Nordic wooden throwing games, and they are often sold side by side, but they are won in completely different ways: kubb is a territory game that ends when the king falls, while Mölkky is a points race to exactly 50.

	Kubb	Mölkky
Origin	Gotland, Sweden; the name is first recorded in 1931	Lahti, Finland, 1996
Pieces	1 king, 10 kubbs, 6 batons	12 numbered skittles and 1 throwing pin
Throwing distance	8 m baseline to baseline (closer from the advantage line)	3.5 m from the throwing line (Mölkkaari)
Players	1 vs 1 up to 6 vs 6	2 to 4 players, or teams
How to win	Topple all opposing kubbs, then the king	Score exactly 50; going over drops you back to 25
Sudden loss	Knocking the king over too early	Three zeros in a row

Mölkky figures come from the Mölkky article and its sources.

Equipment & setup

Kubb needs almost nothing beyond a single wooden set and a flat patch of grass.

King: the largest block, stood upright in the center of the pitch. Toppling it last is how you win
Kubbs: rectangular wooden blocks, five per team and ten in total, lined up along each baseline. They're your targets, and once knocked down they get thrown into the opponent's half to become "field kubbs"
Batons (kastpinnar in Swedish): six round throwing sticks used to knock over the kubbs and, finally, the king
Corner markers: stakes that mark the corners of the pitch
Pitch: a 5 m by 8 m rectangle is standard. Grass is ideal, but dirt or sand works too

Court and equipment dimensions

The values below come from the official Kubb World Championship rules (Sweden), the U.S. National Kubb Championship Rules v4.0, and the equipment standard of the Japan Kubb Association as printed in the Kubb rulebook published by Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture. Where the bodies differ, each value is listed.

Item	Regulation value	Tolerance / notes
Pitch	5 m wide by 8 m long (about 16 ft 5 in by 26 ft 3 in)	Same for all three. The World Championship booklet also suggests shortening the pitch to 6 m as a casual variation
King	9.5 by 9.5 cm, 30 cm tall (about 3.7 by 3.7 in, 11.8 in tall; World Championship)	U.S. Championship: 8 by 8 by 25 cm to 9 by 9 by 30 cm, recommended weight 0.8 to 1.3 kg. Japan Kubb Association: 9 by 9 by 29 cm
Kubbs	7 by 7 cm, 15 cm tall (about 2.8 by 2.8 in, 5.9 in tall)	Same for all three. U.S. Championship recommended weight 0.3 to 0.5 kg
Batons	44 mm diameter, 30 cm long (about 1.7 in by 11.8 in), six of them	Japan Kubb Association: 45 mm diameter. U.S. Championship recommended weight 0.2 to 0.3 kg
Markers	Four, one at each corner	U.S. Championship adds one at each end of the centerline (six in total). Japan Kubb Association: 2 by 2 by 30 cm
Punishment kubb placement	At least one baton length (30 cm) from the king and the markers	Same in the World Championship, U.S. Championship, and Osaki rules

Inch and foot values are rounded conversions; the rules are written in centimetres and metres.

Players & ages

Format	Players	Notes
Small	1 vs 1	The World Championship also has a one-on-one event
Casual	2 to 6 per side	Share the batons evenly between players
Official (World Championship)	6 vs 6	A team with fewer than six throws only as many batons as it has players, even in six-baton rounds
Official (U.S. Championship)	At least 3 per team	No player may throw more than two batons in a single round

There is no age rule. The World Championship booklet describes kubb as a game everyone can enjoy, "young or old, strong or weak". Control matters more than strength.

Rules

Kubb is all about clearing the opponent's kubbs and then toppling the central king last. Knock the king too early and you lose on the spot. Learn the minimal rules below and you can play the same afternoon.

How a round works (minimal rules)

Set out a 5 m by 8 m field and stand the King upright in the center
Line up five kubbs per team, evenly spaced, along each baseline
Choose the first team and have them share out the batons and throw them one at a time
- Throws must be underhand, with the end of the baton pointing in the direction of flight so it rotates end over end; a sideways "helicopter" spin is a foul
First, aim to knock down the kubbs on the opponent's baseline
On the other team's turn, they throw your knocked-down kubbs into your half and stand them up where they land; these are "field kubbs"
From then on, the field kubbs must be toppled first before the opponent's baseline kubbs can be targeted
Once every opposing kubb (field and baseline) is down, the team that topples the King wins
Knock the King over before clearing all the kubbs and you lose instantly. Always respect the order

At first, just remember the order: opponent's kubbs first, king last. Once that feels natural, add the techniques below.

Standard rules (adding skill)

Throwing in field kubbs: toppled kubbs are thrown underhand from behind the baseline into the opponent's half. Any that land out may be thrown once more after all the others. If one misses a second time it becomes a punishment kubb, and the opposing team places it anywhere in their own half, at least one baton length from the king and the markers
Raising field kubbs: the defending team stands each field kubb up on one end, pivoting on the two corners that touch the ground
Field kubbs come first: if a baseline kubb is knocked down while any field kubb is still standing, it is stood back up in its original place and remains a baseline kubb
King last, from the baseline: the king may only be attacked after all the opponent's kubbs are down, and always from behind the baseline
Advantage line: if the other team failed to topple all the field kubbs on their previous turn, you may step forward to a line through the remaining field kubb in your half that is closest to the centerline, and throw your batons from there

Top-down advantage line: two dark grey field kubbs stand in team A's half. A green dashed line runs through the one nearer the centerline, with a green triangle (player) on it and a green arrow showing the advance. A dashed arc heads for green field kubbs

Figure: The green dashed line through the grey field kubb nearest the centerline, left standing by team B, is the advantage line. Team A may throw from there, but must go back to the baseline to throw at the king.

Official competition rules

The Kubb World Championship is held every summer in Rone (the 2027 edition is scheduled for August 5 to 7). The U.S. National Kubb Championship rules are adapted from the World Championship rules and explain them in more detail. The key points:

Who starts: one player from each team throws a baton toward the king at the same time. The team closest to the king without knocking it over chooses either to start or which side to play from
The 2-4-6 opening: the starting team throws only two batons on its first turn, the second team throws four, and from then on both teams throw six (required in the U.S. Championship; at the World Championship the teams agree whether to start with six or with 2-4-6, and 2-4-6 applies if they can't agree)
Helicopter rule: at the World Championship, a throw counts as a helicopter if the baton rotates more than 30 degrees horizontally before it hits anything. The U.S. rules likewise say the baton may not go more than 30 degrees off the vertical plane
Overstepping: at the start of the throw both feet must be completely behind the throwing line and inside the sidelines, and no step may cross the line during the throw
Match format: best of three games. At the World Championship, group matches have a 75-minute limit and knockout matches 90 minutes; if time runs out, a tiebreak procedure applies

Scoring examples

Kubb has no running score; the team that legally topples the king wins the game. Here is how the calls work.

Two side-view examples: on the left, all dark grey kubbs lie flat and the orange king has fallen, circled in green. On the right, one dark grey kubb is still standing (orange dashed ring) while the orange king has fallen, marked with a red cross

Figure: Left: the king falls after every opposing kubb is down, so it's a win (green ring). Right: the king falls while one kubb is still standing (orange dashed ring), so it's a loss (red cross).

Example 1: winning in the right order. It's team A's turn. Team B's half holds two field kubbs and three baseline kubbs. Batons one and two topple the field kubbs, batons three to five topple the baseline kubbs, and baton six, thrown from the baseline, topples the king: team A wins
Example 2: a baseline kubb falls while a field kubb still stands. With one field kubb still up, a baton knocks over a baseline kubb. That baseline kubb is stood back up in its original place
Example 3: the king falls while one kubb remains. Whether it was hit by a baton or by a thrown-in kubb, the team that toppled the king loses the game on the spot

Common fouls and tricky calls

Helicopter throws: the throw is ruled out, any kubbs it toppled are put back, and the baton counts as used (World Championship and U.S. Championship)
Overstepping: putting a hand down in front of the line after the throw also counts. An overstepped throw is ruled out, but if that throw topples the king, the team still loses (World Championship)
Kubbs that bounce back up: a kubb knocked over that stands up again still counts as toppled. At the World Championship, all four corners must have left the ground for it to count
Hitting your own kubbs: if you accidentally knock over a kubb in your own half, at the World Championship it is simply stood up again. Under the U.S. rules the baton is forfeited
Kubbs on the line: once raised, a kubb is in at the World Championship only if the whole kubb is inside the lines; under the U.S. rules it is in if at least half of it is inside

Two throws: left, a side view of an orange baton flipping end over end from a green triangle to a dark grey kubb, circled in green; right, a top view of a baton spinning flat like a propeller, with a rotation arrow and a red cross

Figure: Left: a legal throw that rotates end over end (green ring). Right: seen from above, a baton spinning flat is a helicopter throw (red cross).

Tips for enjoying the game

Common beginner mistakes

Helicopter throws: end-over-end rotation is required. Hold the baton upright like a relay baton and swing your arm straight up
Hitting the King too soon: an accidental king hit means an immediate loss, so take extra care when aiming at kubbs near the king

How to make it more fun

As the World Championship site suggests, throw field kubbs close together, so that next turn one baton can knock down several at once
It's considered wise to let the team's most skilled player throw the last baton

Age variations

Kids: shorten the pitch (for example to 4 to 6 m) and use lighter batons
Seniors: seated throwing is fine. Under World Championship rules, the center of the wheels counts as the feet for wheelchair users
Camping vibe: a classic alongside a BBQ or campfire

Playing Kubb in Japan

Official and entry-level sets are available online and in outdoor stores
In parks, pick a spot with room for the pitch plus a safety margin, and mind other visitors
The Japan Kubb Association sets the competition rules and equipment standard and runs events such as the Japan Kubb Open in several regions
Osaki City in Miyagi Prefecture lends kubb sets free of charge at seven facilities and has published its own local rulebook

Frequently asked questions

Q. How big a court do I need?

The World Championship, the U.S. Championship, and the Japan Kubb Association all use a pitch 5 m wide and 8 m long. At the World Championship the non-throwing team waits at least 2 m behind its baseline, so adding 2 m at each end gives about 12 m of depth for comfort. In tight spaces you can shorten the pitch to around 6 m.

Q. How many points do you need to win?

There are no points. The team that topples all the opponent's field and baseline kubbs, then topples the king from the baseline, wins the game. Tournament matches are usually best of three games.

Q. How do you pronounce kubb, and what does it mean?

Kubb is a Swedish word, said roughly like "koob" with a short vowel (/kɵb/). In Swedish it means a block of wood cut with the grain running vertically, which is exactly what the game's pieces are.

Q. Can you play on surfaces other than grass?

Yes. Any flat ground where the kubbs stand firmly will do, including dirt fields and beaches. Smooth out soft sand before standing the kubbs up.

Q. How old do kids need to be to play?

There is no age rule. If a child can throw a baton underhand a few metres, they can join in. With small children, shorten the pitch and agree first that nobody walks in front of a player who is throwing.

Q. Can I play with homemade equipment?

For practice, cut square timber into kubbs and a king and use round dowels as batons. Use the dimensions in the table above as a guide, and sand the corners of the wood so they are safe to handle.

Learn more

Kubb World Championship rules: Rone, Gotland, Sweden
U.S. National Kubb Championship: rules and tips: Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Japan Kubb Association (in Japanese): events
Kubb, Osaki City (in Japanese): equipment loans and the Osaki rulebook
kubb on Wiktionary: Swedish pronunciation and meaning
Related: Pétanque, Mölkky, and Bocce, fellow lawn throwing games