Kubb, which rhymes with “tube”, is a Swedish game which has been described as part bowling, part horseshoes and part chess. It is believed to have originated with the Vikings and combines physical skill with strategy. Although it began in Sweden, its popularity has grown and it is now played globally. Kubb is a lawn game where wooden sticks are thrown at opponents kubbs, trying to knock them over. Like chess, the final move is to knock over the king. Learn how to play the Kubb Game, and if you are interested, learn how to make your own Kubb Game out of recycled items or wood.

Although there are several sets of official rules, rules can vary from region to region. Backyard games can be modified to fit your family and friends’ needs. We have included one version where the rules are simple and easy for children to understand. If you are interested in learning various “official” rules, a little online research will provide various and more complex gaming rules.

Kubb Game Sets Options

• purchase a ready made Kubb Game Set
• make one out of recycled materials
• make your own wooden set

Game sets include

• 1 king
• 10 kubbs (5 per team)
• 6 batons
• 4 corner stakes

How to Set Up the Field

Begin my creating the playing field. Basically, the field, which is referred to as the pitch, is approximately a 5m by 8m rectangle created on level turf, sand or even small amounts of snow. The size can be changed if playing with younger children or if space is limited. The four corner stakes are placed in the four corners. This defines the pitch.

How to Play Kubb Game

Form 2 teams. Kubb can be played by 2 players or any size of equally numbered teams.

After you have your pitch set up, place the king in the very center of the field on the centerline. The two opponents evenly space their 5 kubbs between the two stakes on their own baseline, which is the line created by the two stakes on their side of the pitch. The kubbs on the baseline are referred to as base kubbs.

In our example, Team A is Orange and goes first. Team B is Blue.

Orange throws 6 batons trying to knock over the opponents base kubbs. All throws must be underhand and the player must stay behind their baseline.

When all 6 batons have been thrown, Blue gathers up any blue kubbs that Orange has knocked over.

It is now Blue’s turn. Blue must toss its fallen kubbs, one at a time, onto Orange’s side of the pitch. These are referred to as field kubbs. Orange stands up the blue kubbs where they have landed. Now, before Blue can try to knock over any of Orange’s base kubbs, he must first knock over his own blue kubbs that are now on Orange’s side of the pitch. Once Blue knocks over these field kubbs, the kubbs are permanently removed from the battlefield. If Blue has successfully cleared his knights from Orange’s side of the pitch, Blue can now try to knock over the orange kubbs with Blue’s remaining batons.

Play continues in this manner until one of the players has knocked over all of the opponent’s base kubbs. If the player still has any batons left, they may throw one more baton and try to knock over the king. From this point forward, this player may only throw 1 baton per turn.

In this example, Blue can now try to knock over the king.

The game ends when one player has knocked over all his opponent’s kubbs and the king. He is declared the winner. In this example below, Blue has won the game. The other way the game can end is if at any point in the game one of the player knocks over the King before he has toppled all his opponent’s kubbs. This team immediately loses the game.

How to Make Your Own Kubb Game from Recyclables

Before you invest in buying your own Kubb Game or making your own set, you might want to see if your family enjoys the game. You can try the game using items you find around the house. You can use cones or rocks to mark the 4 corners of the pitch. In place of wooden kubbs and the king, try using recycled soda or water bottles. As for the batons, you can use balls or water recycled water bottles filled with water. Get creative!

How to Make Your Own Kubb Game from Wood

Materials Needed

• 8 feet of 4 x 4 post
• 6 feet of 1 1/2 – 2 inch dowel
• 4 feet of 3/4 inch dowel

King

Cut off 12 inches from the 4 x 4 post. You can leave the post plain or make it more decorative. Sand the king. Some people like the paint the king, creating a crown. We actually cut points into the king’s crown.

Kubbs

Begin my cutting down the remaining piece of 4 inch x 4 inch x 5 foot piece of post so it measures 2 3/4 inch x 2 3/4 inch. You can do this by cutting off 3/4 inch off of two long adjacent sides of the post using a table saw.  Then, cut this long piece into ten 6 inch kubbs.

Batons

Cut the 1 1/2 – 2 inch dowel into six 12 inch pieces. Sand edges.

Stakes

Cut the 3/4 inch dowel into 4 pieces. Cut or sand a point at one end of each stake to help push it into the ground.

At Play!