Do your children know how to play conkers? Cathy James explains the rules and shares tips for picking a winning conker.
Never mind back to school, September in our house means only one thing: conkers. As well as being great fun, the game of conkers teaches children the rules of fair-play and helps them develop their hand-eye co-ordination. It’s a traditional British game which is easy to play once you know the rules and, most importantly, how to select a prize winning conker.
How to play conkers
Conkers is a game for two players and uses the fruit of the horse chestnut tree in a battle of skill and strength. Each player needs to select a conker, make a hole through its centre and thread it on a piece of string around 30cm long. The players take turns to aim and hopefully hit each other’s conker with their own. The game continues until one of the conkers is smashed to pieces and the remaining conker is declared the winner.
Rules and scoring conkers
- When it’s your turn to be the target you must hold your conker at the height your opponent chooses and you mustn’t move it: if you do your opponent gets another shot.
- As the striker, if you miss hitting your opponent you get one second chance to hit.
- If the strings of the conkers tangle, whoever shouts ‘strings’ first gets to have a bonus shot.
- Hitting the other player’s conker in a way that makes their conker turn right round in a full circle is called a ‘round the world’ and earns you a bonus shot.
When a conker wins it is crowned a ‘one-er’. If you play again with this conker and win it becomes a ‘two-er’, and so on. It’s possible for a really good conker to last right through the season to play again next year, so guard your conker well.
How to get a winning conker
The first thing you need to do if you want to win at conkers is select a really good chestnut. It should be un-cracked, firm and an even shape. Test your conkers in a bowl of water: ones which are damaged inside will float and should be discarded. Some people advocate soaking conkers in vinegar or baking them in an oven but the recommended way to get a winner is to stash one away for a full twelve months and bring it out next year when it’s really hard. Good things come to those who wait and if you do get a winner you might like to enter the world conker championships.
Did you play conkers as a child and do your children play them at school now? Got any winning tips to share?
Other posts you may like
Love Cathy James’s post? Read more 
2 Comments
Post a comment
You must be signed in to post to Ready for Ten.
Haven’t registered? It’s really quick and simple.
10 September, 2010
This brings back some lovely memories Cathy. And I know just the tree to get us some god 'uns.
admin
10 September, 2010
I grew up in South Africa so no conkers for me as a child, but I'm certainly going to use your tips to teach my three - thanks for the rules Cathy!
Leigh
Ready for Ten Team