How to make and play kubb, viking chess

Making your own Kubb game will put you in the running of  “BEST MOM EVER”! What is kubb (koob) you ask?  Well it is an increasingly popular lawn game said to have originated over 1,000 years ago in Scandinavia. Though the game is as simple as tossing wood dowels to knock over wood blocks, kubb (also known as Viking Chess) is the type of game that can change even the most mild-mannered child into an uber-competitive smack talking stinker, and  you can make it with a few 4×4’s.   This photo below is of a very intricate carved version.

 

Or you can get your own set from Amazon 59$  just click on the photo,  or you can keep reading and make your own set for about  22$

 

This is what you will need

• One (1) 4″ x 4″ x 8′ timber cedar post around 13$
• One (1) 72″ long x 1¾” diameter wood dowel, or two (2) 36″ long x 1¾” diameter wood dowels 6$
• One (1) 48″ long x ¾” diameter wood dowel 1.70$

1) Cut the King kubb from 4″ x 4″ post. Using your miter saw, cut a 10″ long section from the 4″ x 4″ post. you can then get fancy like my hubby did and cute a few notches into the top so that it looks like a king but this is not necessary.

 

2) Cut the remaining 4″ x 4″ post to 6 inch pieces  then you are going to want to sand the heck out of the edges to make them nice and smooth.  Again my cute hubby set our electric  belt sander up on a bench so that I could easily sand each piece. I was making multiple games (as you will see posted soon)  so it made sense to make this as easy as possible.  You can sand these by hand using a sanding block if you want a great workout!

3) Cut your kubbs. Using your miter saw, cut ten (10) 6″ kubbs from your 4×4 post.

5) Cut your batons. Using your miter saw, cut six (6) 12″ batons from the 72″ x 1¾” dowel.

6) Cut your field markers. Using your miter saw, cut six 8″ field markers from the 48″ x ¾” dowel. When cutting your markers, Set your miter saw blade to 45° and cut one end of each marker to create a sharp end to drive into the ground.  I haven’t made the field markers yet because we use our dogs long yard leashes for the boarders, what ever works right?

7) Paint this step is just a suggestion  I did not paint mine because my kids wanted to play the minute we finished making the game, but maybe someday.  After seeing all these cute sets I might just have to fancy mine up a bit.

this is how you play:

basically you throw the sticks and try to knock over the other teams posts.  but if you want to get technical these are the real instructions on how to play taken from the U.S. National Kubb Chamionship web page.

 

Rules Description
The following is a quick description of the rules:
The corner stakes are placed so that a rectangle is formed, measuring 5m x 8m. The center stakes are placed in the middle of the sidelines. The king is placed upright in the center of the pitch, and five kubbs are placed on each baseline. The pitch is ready for play.

The teams determine which team throws first and which side each team will be on.Starting in 2015, the U.S. Championship will use the 2, 4, 6 open. Team A throws two batons (two different players have to throw). Team B then throws four batons (at least three different players have to throw). Team A then throws six batons, and six batons are then used through the remainder of the game. The game begins with the first team throwing their batons from behind their baseline, attempting to knock down the kubbs on the opposite baseline. Batons may rotate vertically when thrown. 

Once all the batons are thrown, the opposing team gathers any kubbs that were knocked down. That team throws them back across to the other half of the pitch (the opponent’s side of the field). Kubbs thrown back into play are called field kubbs, and are raised by the first team where they came to rest. If a kubb comes to rest outside of the field of play, the team is allowed to throw that kubb again, after all kubbs have been thrown. If that kubb comes to rest outside the field of play a second time, it becomes a punishment kubb, and the other team is allowed to place it wherever they would like within one baton length of the king or marking stakes. The second team then throws their batons, first attempting to knock down any field kubbs, then the kubbs on the baseline, then the king.

If they are unable to knock down all of their kubbs and the king, then the first team picks up all knocked down kubbs, throws them into play as field kubbs, and then tries to knock them over with the batons. Play continues until the game ends. If at any time a team does not knock down all the field kubbs in their opponents half of the pitch, the other team is allowed to move up to the kubb closest to the center line and throw their batons from that new line. Kubbs and baton throws at the king are always thrown from the baseline.

The game is won by the team who knocks down all the kubbs in their opponents half of the field and on the baseline then knocks over the king. However, if a team knocks down the king prior to knocking down all the kubbs, then that team immediately loses the game. In tournament play, matches are often best-of-three games.  

 

Now you know how to make your own Kubb game (or buy it on Amazon)  and the rules.  I promise you will be addicted to this game of precise throwing skill, and if your not, your kids will love throwing sticks at blocks of wood!   Guaranteed