A Time-Tested System for Running Crokinole Club Tournaments
Many crokinole clubs eventually face the same challenge: how to organize games so that everyone plays fairly, meets different opponents, and enjoys the evening without confusion or complicated scheduling. One of the best systems ever developed for this purpose comes from the St. Jacob’s Crokinole Club Development Package, created by Derek Hale.
The St. Jacob’s Crokinole Club in St. Jacobs, near Waterloo, holds a special place in crokinole history. Founded in 1955 with only four members, it has grown into the longest-running crokinole club in the world. More than seventy years later, the club is still active, with over forty members meeting twice a month to play. Over the decades, the club refined practical methods for organizing club play, and those methods have proven remarkably effective.
At the heart of their approach is a balanced rotation schedule. Rather than relying on random pairings or informal matchups, the schedule is designed mathematically to ensure fairness and variety for every participant.
Why Use a Balanced Rotation System?
A well-designed rotation system offers several important advantages for club play.
In singles, every player faces every other player exactly once. This ensures that the results reflect skill across the whole group rather than a lucky set of opponents.
In doubles, the system becomes even more interesting. Each player partners with every other player once during the event. At the same time, they will face every other player twice as an opponent. This creates a balanced and social environment where everyone gets the chance to play both with and against all other participants.
Another important benefit is board fairness. In some tournaments, players might unknowingly gain an advantage by repeatedly playing on the same board, especially if it plays faster or slower than others. In this rotation system, players are regularly moved between boards so no one benefits from repeated placement at the same board.
A System Refined Through Decades of Play
What makes this rotation method particularly valuable is that it has been tested for decades in real club conditions. It was not developed in theory alone; it evolved through years of practical use at one of the most active crokinole clubs in the world.
The result is a system that is:
- Fair for all players
- Easy to manage once set up
- Social and engaging
Perfect for both casual club nights and organized tournaments
Bringing Structure to Your Club Night
In the sections that follow, we will walk through demonstrations of this mathematically balanced rotation system, showing how it can be applied to crokinole tournaments and club play of different sizes.
 |
| 2 Players (Singles) |
 |
| 4 Players (Singles) |
 |
| 6 Players (Singles) |
 |
| 8 Players (Singles) |
 |
| 10 Players (Singles) |
 |
| 12 Players (Singles) |
 |
| 4 Players (Doubles) |
 |
| 6 Players (Doubles) |
 |
| 8 Players (Doubles) |
 |
| 10 Players (Doubles) |
 |
| 12 Players (Doubles) |
5 Players with Ghost (Singles)
In singles, the ghost player automatically ties every game. This means that any player facing the ghost receives a pass, earning 4 points and 4 twenties.
 |
| 5 Players with Ghost (Singles) |
With a little planning, you can create the same kind of smooth, fair, and enjoyable experience that has kept the St. Jacob’s Crokinole Club thriving since 1955.
You can download scorecards for each of the scenarios
described in this blog from the following Facebook group:
Join the Discussion: Have you played crokinole before? Share your experience in the comments below!
0 Comments