1. All conkers and laces are supplied by the World Conker Championships. Laces must not be knotted further or tampered with. Conkers are drawn ‘blind’ from a bag, and players may reject up to three selected conkers.
2. The game will commence with the toss of a coin, the winner of the toss may elect to strike or receive.
3. A minimum distance of no less than 8” (20cm) of lace must be between knuckle and nut for both striking and receiving players.
4. Each player takes three alternate strikes at the opponent’s conker.
5. Each attempted strike must be clearly aimed at the nut with reasonable force, in an attempt to break their opponent’s conker. Stewards may order a shot to be retaken.
6. The game will be decided once one of the conkers is smashed. A small piece of nut or skin (a third or less) remaining shall be judged out; it must be enough to mount an attack.
7. If both nuts smash at the same time, then new conkers shall be drawn.
8. Any nut being knocked from the lace but not smashing may be re-threaded and the game continued, or the player may choose to draw a new conker. Their opponent may also elect to draw a new nut (as per Rule 1).
9. A player causing a knotting of the laces (a snag) will be noted, three snags will lead to disqualification.
10. If a game lasts for more than five minutes, then the ‘5 minute rule’ will comeinto effect. Play continues, one strike each in turn, until one player hits and the other misses. Rule 5 must be followed. After nine strikes, if both players are equal, the game shall be decided at the Chief Umpire’s discretion.
As you might expect, the World Conker Championships are governed by a firm set of rules that must be adhered to by all competitors as they battle their way through the competition. Over 60 years in the making, the rules have been adjusted and adapted many times over the years to guarantee a fun but fair tournament that values skill and technique as much as brawn and power.
To ensure anyone can compete equally in the championships, this ruleset focuses on a traditional variant of the game. The original game of conkers is impressively balanced with a excellent blend of luck and skill that allows for all people, irrespective of gender, age or size, to battle alongside each other. These rules are then enforced by our official umpires to ensure everyone gets an even crack at the title.
If you’ve ever played conkers before, you’ll probably have come across a rule that allows for a conker to be ‘stamped’ on; if it either comes off its string or lace due to a snap or is dropped by the opposing player. In some variations, you can even call ‘stamps’ when snags occur. This can take multiple forms, either coming into effect after consecutive snags, after a certain amount of snags or as a test of reaction speed as a call on any single snag. Ultimately, it can be a fun addition to the game, especially for kids.
As a result, many consider ‘stamps’ to be an integral part of the game and it is a popular ‘playground’ rule. However, despite its popularity, it does present a problem, especially at a competition level. For starters, it heavily favours strength and weight and actively gives an advantage based on physique that isn’t seen elsewhere in the game. It also detracts from a display of true conkering skill, and many purists consider it to be a violent addition to a classic game.
While we thoroughly enjoy the ‘stamps’ rule and love to see it in other events, our core aim has always been to foster a fair competition that allows for anyone, no matter their gender, age or weight to compete evenly with all other competitors. Therefore, ‘stamps’ are not allowed in the World Conker Championships’ official competitions, and it’s unlikely that they ever will be.
In order to run the competition smoothly and, most importantly, fairly; we have a large team of officials who kindly volunteer their time in the ring.
To narrow down all the players vying for the title of World Conker Champion, the competition is split into rounds where only the best can progress.
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