How to play conkers
The rules of how to play conkers have been passed down by word-of-mouth from generation to generation, and because of this there are many variations of the rules of conkers played across the UK, however the fundamentals of how to play conkers are:
Two people face each other - 1 meter apart - each holding a conker on a string
Each then takes turns to try to hit the other person’s conker with their conker, taking x3 hits at a time and then alternating
The aim is to smash the oppositions conker
The first to smash their opponent’s conker wins!
A game of conkers is as simple as that! That said, there is a whole extra layer of complexity around conkers, rules which have evolved over centuries of people playing conkers.
Variations of how to play conkers include whether you’re allowed to artificially harden your conker, how long a game of conkers lasts and whether rules like stamps and tangles are allowed.
Part 1: Players face each other 1 meter apart, with conkers on strings
How to player conkers part 1: stand 1 meter apart
Part 2: Players take turns hitting the other’s conker, taking 3 hits at a time
How to play conkers part 2: hit the opponent’s conker
Part 3: The person who smashes their opponent’s conker first wins! (and takes all of their opponent’s points - creating the final score)
How to play conkers part 3: first to smash the conker wins!
The official rules of conkers
As with all sports, there are official rules and then variations of those rules. The official rules of conkers were written by the World Conker Championships, and state the following key official rules:
Only pre-selected ‘natural’ conkers should be used (i.e. conkers shouldn’t be tampered with or hardened to give an unfair advantage)
The game of conkers should start with a toss of a coin, with the winner choosing to strike or receive
A distance of no more than 20mm should be between knuckle and conker
A player takes 3 strikes each at the opponents conker
Each attempt must be deliberately aimed at the opponents nut (i.e. there should be no attempt to miss the conker on purpose)
The game of conkers is won once no conker remains on the lace
If both conkers smash at the same time the game is considered a draw, and the game should be played again (with a new set of nuts)
If a conker is knocked from the lace but doesn’t break, it can be picked up again and re-threaded
If laces ‘snag’ more than 3 times in a game this will lead to ‘disqualification’
If the game of conkers lasts more than 5 minutes, then there will be a ‘play off’ (a bit like a penalty shoot out) where each player has 9 hits of the opponents conker. The person who hits the opponents conker the most (i.e. doesn’t miss) wins.
Alternative conker rules
There are loads of variations of the rules of conkers, which shy away from the more formal game of conkers to the more fun school-yard game - where anarchy rules!
Our favourite alternative rules of conkers are ‘Battle Royale’ rules, where pretty much ‘anything goes’. This takes to heart more of a school-yard ethos.
Watch our how to play conkers guide video below . . .
Battle Royale conker game rules
Players face each other and take 3 strikes each - alternating - until they smash the other’s conker
Players can ‘pimp’ their nut as they like (i.e. players can bake their conker or harden it in vinegar - or do anything they like to make it as hard as possible!)
Stampsies is allowed if you knock you opponents conker to the ground (i.e. you can jump and smash the opponents conker on the ground!)
Tangles is also allowed - i.e. you can try to pull your opponents conker to the ground if you get your lace stuck around your opponent’s lace!
Special conker moves are encouraged - for example, the ‘Super Chopper’ or ‘Gravity Strike’
The winner is encouraged to do a ‘winner’s dance’ to humiliate the opponent as much as possible (of course in a friendly way!)
How long does a game of conkers last?
According to the Official Rules, the standard length of a game of conkers is 5 minutes. If you haven’t smashed your opponent’s conker within this time you then have to start a ‘play off’ (which is a type of penalty shoot out), and where you get x10 hits each - and the one that hits the most in these 10 hits is the winner.
What is stamps and tangles in conkers?
Two of the most common alternative rules in conkers is ‘stamps’ and ‘tangles’. Stamps (or ‘stampsies’) is a rule where if your opponent’s conker falls on the ground you are allowed to stamp on it to break it - and win. Importantly you must shout ‘stampsies’ as you do it, to be clear what you’re doing. Stamps isn’t allowed in the official rules of conkers, however is allowed in the alternative ‘Battle Royale’ rules.
Tangles is another alternative rule, where if your string gets tangled with your opponents string (with the strings getting wrapped around each other) then you’re allowed to tug at the string and try to pull the other conker off - or rip the string from your opponent’s hand.
How scoring works in a game of conkers
Scoring in conkers is fairly simple, and works as follows:
Each time you win a game of conkers your conker wins a single ‘point’
If you beat a player with a conker that already has a ‘score’ (e.g. it’s already won x2 battles) your conker wins / adopts the losing conker’s points. E.g. If your conker is a ‘oner’ and you beat a conker that is a ‘two-er’ then your conker becomes a ‘three-er’.
The typical way of referring to a point in conkers is to add ‘er’ at the end of the number (depending on how many times your conker has won). I.e. your conker could be a ‘one-er’ or a ‘two-er’ or a ‘three-er’ (etc)
How to win at conkers
Winning at conkers requires cunning and skill - and sometimes a fair amount of cheating! Skill in conkers will only get a so far, as ultimately conkers is about the strength of your conker - and there’s a myriad of ways you can harden your conker, and therefore increase the chances of winning!
We’ve put together this quick ‘how to’ video, showing you how to harden your conker and win!
What equipment is needed to play conkers?
The key bits of equipment needed to play conkers are:
x2 conkers (holed)
x2 laces / string (to string up your conker)
A conker holing device like a ‘hand drill’, so you can make a hole in your conker and string it
Conker Coins, so you play for points and actually win something in a game of conkers! Points mean prizes ;-)