What is nine-pin bowling?
Nine-pin bowling (Kegeln in German, where the pins are Kegel and a bowler is a Kegler) is played across central Europe and beyond. Its international governing body is the World Ninepin Bowling Association (WNBA), which says it “was founded at London 1973” and has member federations in 28 countries across Europe, South America and Asia. It is not a tenpin game with one pin missing: the layout, the lanes and the scoring are all its own.
The pins and the ball
The nine pins stand on the corners, the side midpoints and the centre of a square, with one diagonal pointing down the lane, so to the bowler it looks like a diamond. Under the German federation’s technical rules, the square’s diagonal is 1 metre and the centre pin is pin 5.
| Ball | 160 mm across, 2,818 to 2,871 g (about 6.2 to 6.3 lb), no finger holes |
|---|---|
| Pins | Nine, in a 1 m square set as a diamond; modern plastic pins weigh about 1.66 kg |
| Youth balls | 14 cm for under-13s, 15 cm for under-15s, 16 cm from under-19 up |
Equipment figures from the German federation’s (DKB) 2011 technical rules and the current NBC International Sport Regulations.
Three kinds of lane
Nine-pin is played on three kinds of lane, measured from the delivery point to the front pin:
- Classic: 19.5 m, flat and 1.5 m wide. This is the main international discipline.
- Schere (“scissors”): 18 m, widening toward the pins.
- Bohle: 23.5 m, a long, narrow running board.
How a game works: 120 throws
Classic nine-pin has no frames, strikes or spares. Under the NBC International Sport Regulations (version 5.10, valid July 1, 2026), a standard game is 120 throws, played as four sets of 30, with a lane change after every set. Each set has two halves:
- 15 throws “at all”: “After every ball the fallen down pins are to set up again,” so every throw is at a full rack.
- 15 throws “clear off”: you play “on the remained standing pins so long as until all nine pins are fallen down,” then a fresh rack goes up.
Your score is the total number of pins you knock down. Each 30-throw set has a 12-minute time limit, and a foul throw is scored as zero even if pins fall. Teams field six players who each bowl 120 throws, and there are shorter sprint (40 throws) and tandem (60 throws) events.
World records
From the NBC world record lists (last updated June 6, 2026), for 120 throws:
- Men: 738 pins, Congor Baranj (Serbia), Tarnowo Podgórne, Poland, October 27, 2021. That is about 6.15 pins per throw out of a possible 9.
- Women: 691 pins, Paula Polanšćak (Croatia), Schwaz, Austria, June 4, 2026.
- Teams of six: Serbia’s men, 4,140 (2021); Germany’s women, 3,830 (2009).
Nine-pin and the birth of tenpin
USBC, American tenpin’s governing body, says bowling at pins “probably originated in ancient Germany,” and that “Martin Luther is credited with settling on nine as the ideal number of pins.” Note the word “credited”: it is a tradition, not a documented fact.
A favourite American story says that when ninepins was banned in the 1830s and 1840s, bowlers added a tenth pin to get around the law. Ninepins really was restricted: a Connecticut law of 1841 is the best-known example. But the story does not hold up well. Tenpin alleys were already being mentioned in US newspapers around 1820, and the Connecticut law, as quoted by History.com, covered games played with “more or less than ninepins.” USBC itself says “why and when the extra pin was added … still is a mystery.” Treat the tenth-pin tale as legend.
Ninepins in Texas
American ninepins survives in German-heritage communities around San Antonio. The Handbook of Texas describes clubs in Bexar, Comal and Guadalupe counties as “the only active ninepin leagues in the United States.” The Texas game has its own twist: knocking down all nine scores 9, but knocking down the outer eight and leaving the red centre pin, the kingpin, standing scores 12. As San Antonio Magazine put it: “if you leave the one in the center standing, the ‘redhead,’ you get 12 points.” Pins are still set by hand.
How to try it
In Germany and neighbouring countries, nine-pin is played through local clubs (Vereine) under the national federations; the German umbrella body, the DKB, covers Classic, Schere and Bohle alongside tenpin. In Texas, the game is played through its clubs; contact one through the Bexar Bowling Society before you visit.
Sources: WNBA; WNBA-NBC International Sport Regulations v5.10 and world records (June 6, 2026); DKB technical rules for Classic (2011 edition); USBC history of bowling; History.com; Handbook of Texas; Bexar Bowling Society; San Antonio Magazine; Wikipedia (early US tenpin references) and German Wikipedia (lane shapes).