The Mölkky Rules

Equipment

• Twelve wooden pins of similar dimensions, marked from 1 to 12
• One bigger throwing pin called the Mölkky

Setup

• The numbered pins are placed in a formation (see image)
• A throwing line is drawn about 3-4 meters away from the pin formation

Principle

• Take turns in knocking down numbered pins with the Mölkky
• After each throw, the pins are stood up again in the location where they landed
• The first player to reach exactly 50 points wins the game

Scoring System

• Knocking over one pin scores the amount of points that is marked on the respective pin
• Knocking over two or more pins scores the number of pins that were knocked over
• A player that exceeds the score of 50, drops back to 25
• A player that misses all of the target pins three turns in a row is eliminated

Over the years, a general consensus has formed around the finer details of the Mölkky rules. Below are the rules agreed upon by most officially recognized Mölkky associations and federations.

The Mölkky set and its official dimensions

An authentic Mölkky game is made from birch wood. The 12 numbered pins stand 15cm (5.91 inch) tall, flat at the base and beveled (45°) at the top, with a diameter of 5.9cm (2.3 inch). Each pin is numbered 1 to 12 on its beveled face. The throwing pin measures 22.5cm (8.6 inch) long, with the same 5.9cm (2.3 inch) diameter.

Positioning of the pins

At the start of a game, the pins are placed 3.50m (11.5 ft) away from the players (see image above for the pin formation). When a pin is knocked down, it's stood back up — without lifting it off the ground — exactly where it landed, with its number facing the launching zone. This is how the pins gradually scatter across the playing field as the game goes on.

Launching zone

The mölkkaari (see image) marks the zone from which a player can throw the Mölkky at the numbered pins.

The mölkkaari consists of four interconnected pieces of wood, each 24cm (9.45 inch) long, 3.2cm (1.26 inch) wide, and 1.8cm (0.71 inch) thick. It sits on the ground in a trapezoidal shape, with the two side pieces angled 45° toward the players. Every throw must be made from behind the mölkkaari, without touching it.

Playing field

The playing field is marked out by lines, but these are purely indicative — they have no effect on scoring. They exist only for practical reasons, to keep pins from mixing with nearby games. Pins knocked outside the playing field are stood back up within it, perpendicular to where they landed and one Mölkky's length from the boundary.

A single game

Players (or teams) take turns trying to knock down numbered pins by throwing the Mölkky from the launching zone. Any throwing style is allowed. A pin only counts as knocked down if it has fallen entirely to the ground. If it comes to rest balanced on another pin, on the Mölkky, or on a natural feature like a tree stump or trunk, it does not count. If it rests against something artificial — a curb, a bench — it does count.

A player can score points in only one of two ways:

• Knocking over exactly one pin scores the number of points marked on that pin
• Knocking over two or more pins scores the number of pins knocked over (e.g. knocking over 3 pins scores 3 points)

The first player to reach exactly 50 points wins and ends the game. If a player's score goes over 50, it drops back to 25. A player who misses every pin three turns in a row is eliminated. If every player is eliminated before anyone reaches 50, the last player standing wins.

Multiple rounds

A Mölkky match is typically played best-of-three between two teams. A coin toss decides which team starts the first round. If the first two rounds split, each team adds up their points from both rounds — whoever scored more starts the third and final round. If the two teams are tied, it comes down to a mölkkout.

Mölkkout

Mölkkout is how a definitive winner is decided between two teams tied on points.

In a mölkkout, the pins 6, 4, 12, 10, and 8 are set up one after another, in that order, each one Mölkky's length apart. The first pin (number 6) is placed 3.50m (11.5 ft) from the launching zone. Knocked-down pins are stood back up in their starting position. As usual, knocking over exactly one pin scores the number on that pin, and knocking over two or more scores the number of pins knocked down.

A coin toss decides which team throws first. Teams of 1 player each throw three times; teams of 2 players each throw twice; teams of more than 2 players each throw once. The throwing order for teams A and B looks like this:

• teams of 1 player: A BB AA B
• teams of 2 players: A BB AA BB A
• teams of 3 players: A BB AA B
• teams of 4 players: A BB AA BB A
• and so on…

Once all required throws are complete, the team with the most points wins the mölkkout. If it's still tied, each player throws again until one team pulls ahead.