Home / The Family
Beyond tenpin
Tenpin is only the beginning.
Most bowling references stop at tenpin. We don't. The world of rolling and target games is far richer — regional pin games with devoted followings, and ancient green games still played worldwide. This is bowling's extended family.
Candlepin
New England's slim pins and small handheld ball — a game all its own.
Tenpin cousin 02Duckpin
Squat pins, three balls a frame, and a Mid-Atlantic devotion.
Tenpin cousin 03Five-Pin
Canada's homegrown game with its own scoring and rhythm.
Tenpin cousin 04Bocce
Rolling toward a target on the court — ancient, social, strategic.
Rolling game 05Pétanque
France's boules game of metal balls and fine touch.
Rolling game 06Lawn Bowls
Biased bowls and the long game of line and weight.
Rolling game 07Nine-Pin & Skittles
The older European games tenpin descended from.
Heritage 08Skittles
England's nine-pin pub game: West Country alleys, London skittles and more.
Heritage 09Kubb
The Swedish lawn game of wooden blocks, batons and a king.
Lawn game 10Shuffleboard
Discs on a 52-foot court, or weights down a 20-foot table.
Sliding gameThe family at a glance
Every game here comes down to the same idea: roll or throw a ball at a target and count what you hit or how close you get. The details are what make each one its own game.
| Game | Target | Ball | Turns | Top score / game to | Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tenpin | 10 pins | Large, finger holes | Up to 2 balls a frame | 300 | Worldwide |
| Candlepin | 10 tall, thin pins | About 4½ in, no holes | Up to 3 balls a frame; fallen “wood” stays in play | 300 (record 245) | New England, Canadian Maritimes |
| Duckpin | 10 short, squat pins | 4¾ to 5 in, no holes | Up to 3 balls a frame | 300 (record 279) | Maryland, southern New England |
| Five-pin | 5 pins worth 2-3-5-3-2 | 4¾ to 5 in, no holes | Up to 3 balls a frame | 450 | Canada |
| Nine-pin | 9 pins in a diamond | 160 mm, no holes | 120 throws, half full rack, half clear-off | Total pins (record 738) | Central Europe; Texas clubs |
| Bocce | Pallino | About 107 mm resin | Side that isn’t closest plays | 12 (international) | Italy, worldwide |
| Pétanque | Jack (cochonnet) | 70.5 to 80 mm metal | Side that isn’t closest plays | 13 | France, worldwide |
| Lawn bowls | Jack | Biased bowls, 112 to 131 mm | Players alternate one bowl at a time | 21 shots (singles) | UK, Australia, Commonwealth |
Figures come from each game’s governing body (USBC, ICBA, NDBC, C5PBA, WNBA, CBI, FIPJP, World Bowls); see each page for sources.
Where these came from
Many of these games predate tenpin. See how they branched off in our origins of bowling.