How to play Kubb

Kubb is typically played on a rectangular pitch approximately 15’ by 25’. Although there are no official rules as to the size of the field, the dimensions can be altered for younger players or to accommodate faster games. Typically the pitch is grass, but kubb could also be played on sand, snow, or dirt. The pitch should always be level, with no more than a 3 inch drop from one end -- or one side -- to the other.

The king is placed in the center of the pitch, halfway between baselines. An imaginary line drawn through the king and parallel to the two baselines divides the field into two halves.

The kubbs are set up across each baseline, five to a side.

Any number of people may play kubb.

There are two phases for each team's turn:

1. Team A throws the six sticks, from their baseline, at their opponent's lined-up kubbs (called Baseline kubbs). Throws must be under-handed, and the sticks must spin end over end. Throwing sticks sideways or spinning them side-to-side is not allowed.
2. Kubbs that are successfully knocked down are then thrown by Team B onto Team A's half of the pitch, and stood on end. These newly thrown kubbs are called field kubbs. Deciding where in the opponent's half to throw the field Kubbs is a very important part of the strategy - as a rule of thumb, the more you have to return, the further back you should throw them. However the key requirement is to keep them in close proximity to each other.

Play then changes hands, and Team B throws the sticks at Team A's kubbs, but must first knock down any standing field kubbs. (Field kubbs that right themselves due to the momentum of the impact are considered knocked down.) Again, kubbs that are knocked down are thrown back over onto the opposite half of the field and then stood.

If a knocked over kubb that is thrown back to the opposing team’s half of the pitch does not pass the middle line, this throw is out of bounds.  If this happens twice in a row, the opposing team may put the kubb anywhere in their pitch.  If the opposing team chooses to put the kubb directly behind the king, the kubb must be at least one kubb length away.

If either team leaves field kubbs standing, the kubb closest to the king now represents that side's baseline, and throwers may step up to that line to throw at their opponent's kubbs. This rule applies to field and baseline kubbs only; fallen kubbs are thrown from the original baseline, as are attempts to knock over the king.

If Team A knocks over more than one of Team B’s field or baseline kubbs, then Team B has the opportunity to “T” them on their following turn.  When Team B throws the fallen kubbs on to Team A’s half of the pitch, if the second kubb thrown touches the first kubb, then Team A must set them up one on top of the other, like a “T”.  This can only be done with the first/second kubbs (not second/third) and third/fourth… etc.

Play continues in this fashion until a team is able to knock down all kubbs on one side, from both the field and the baseline. If that team still has sticks left to throw, they now attempt to knock over the king from their baseline. If a thrower successfully topples the king, they have won the game.

However, if at any time during the game the king is knocked down by accident -- even by a newly thrown kubb -- the offending team immediately loses the game.

Victors are typically determined by playing best out of three.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubb