What is kubb?
Kubb (say "koob") is a Swedish lawn game of wooden blocks and throwing sticks. Two teams face each other across a rectangle of grass, each with a row of blocks, the kubbs, on its baseline and a taller king standing in the middle. You throw batons to knock down the other side's kubbs, and the king last. It's a cousin of bowling in spirit: knocking down standing wood, in turns.
Two official rule sets exist, the U.S. National Kubb Championship rules and the Kubb World Championship rules from Gotland. They agree on the basics and differ on details, noted below.
The pieces and the pitch
| Kubbs | 10, each 7 x 7 x 15 cm (both rule sets); US recommended weight 0.3 to 0.5 kg |
|---|---|
| Batons | 6, each 30 cm long and 4.4 cm across; US recommended weight 0.2 to 0.3 kg |
| King | 1; 9 x 9 x 30 cm in the 2003 World Championship booklet, 9.5 x 9.5 x 30 cm on the current World Championship page, 8 x 8 x 25 to 9 x 9 x 30 cm in the US rules |
| Stakes | 4 corner stakes, plus 2 center stakes in the US rules |
| Pitch | 5 m wide x 8 m long, both rule sets |
The World Championship booklet notes that for casual play "the field length can be shortened to 6m," and the US rules say pitch dimensions "can vary" for recreational play. The organiser's own description says the pieces are pine.
How a game goes
- Set up. The king stands in the center; each team's five kubbs stand on its baseline, "no closer than a baton length to the corner stakes" (US rules).
- Decide who starts. One player from each side throws a baton at the king; the closest without knocking it over chooses.
- Open 2-4-6. "The opening team throws two batons, the second team throws four batons, and the opening team then throws six batons. Both teams then always throw six batons."
- Throw underarm. "Batons must be thrown underarm," end over end. A "helicopter" throw that spins sideways more than 30 degrees is not allowed.
- Toppled kubbs come back as field kubbs. The team whose kubbs were knocked down throws them into the other half, where they are stood up. These field kubbs must be knocked down before the baseline kubbs behind them.
- Then the king. Once every field and baseline kubb on the other side is down, throw at the king from your baseline. Topple it and you win.
The rule that decides many games: knock the king over early and you lose. The US rules: a team that "topples the king at any time prior to toppling all field and baseline kubbs, then that team immediately loses the game." The World Championship booklet says the same. A US match is the best of three games.
Where the two rule sets differ
- Team size: US teams have at least three players; World Championship teams have six.
- Batons per player: up to two per player per round in the US rules, one in the World Championship.
- The advantage line: when field kubbs are left standing, the attacking team may throw from closer. The US rules put that line through the center of the nearest field kubb; the current World Championship rules use the kubb's rear corner.
Kubb words
- Baseline kubb: "a kubb which is still in its original position on the baseline."
- Field kubb: a toppled kubb that has been thrown back onto the field and "joined the game."
- Punishment kubb: a field kubb thrown out twice; the defending team places it, at least a baton length from the king and the stakes.
- Advantage line: the closer line attackers may throw from when field kubbs were left standing.
- Round: "a set of two turns, each team attacking once and defending once."
Where it comes from
Kubb is tied to the island of Gotland. The World Championship organiser writes that kubb's roots "are lost in the mists of time," and calls it an old Gotland game. The popular "Viking chess" story is another matter: Wikipedia, citing the ethnologist Owe Ronström, calls such labels "unfounded," and dates the earliest known use of the name "kubb" to 1931, on Fårö.
The Kubb World Championship has been held at Rone, on Gotland, since 1995, and grew from 140 teams in 2025 to 170 in 2026 according to its organiser. In the US, the National Kubb Championship in Eau Claire, Wisconsin "started in 2007 with 15 teams and 35 players," and drew 144 teams in 2024.
Buying a set
A full set is one king, ten kubbs, six batons and the stakes. Check the sizes before you buy. The US championship warns: "Most sets sold in stores and online have smaller game pieces than tournament sized sets." Compare against 7 x 7 x 15 cm kubbs and 30 cm by 4.4 cm batons.
Gear to play at home
Check the listing's sizes against tournament pieces: 7 x 7 x 15 cm kubbs, 30 cm batons.
Sources: U.S. National Kubb Championship Rules V4.0 and usakubb.org rules page; Rone GoIK, Kubb World Championship Rules (2003) and Regler i VM (current); kubbvm.com; usakubb.org; Wikipedia, Kubb. All checked 21 October 2026.
Common questions
How do you play kubb?
Two teams take turns throwing wooden batons underarm at the other team's kubbs (wooden blocks). Knock down all of the other team's kubbs, then the king in the middle, to win. Knock the king over too early and you lose.
How big is a kubb field?
5 metres wide by 8 metres long in both the US National Championship rules and the World Championship rules. For casual play the size can vary.
What is 2-4-6 in kubb?
The opening: the first team throws two batons, the second team four, then the first team six, and after that each team throws six batons a turn.
What size should a kubb set be?
Tournament kubbs are 7 x 7 x 15 cm and batons 30 cm long by 4.4 cm across. The US championship warns that most sets sold in stores and online have smaller pieces than tournament sets, so check the sizes.
Is kubb a Viking game?
That claim is disputed. The Kubb World Championship calls it an old Gotland game, but Wikipedia, citing ethnologists, calls the Viking labels unfounded and dates the earliest recorded use of the name to 1931.