How to Play Kingpin Skittles

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Kingpin Skittles is a pin-bowling garden game for 2 to 8 players. Nine pins are arranged in a diamond formation, with the tallest pin, the kingpin, standing at the centre. Players take turns rolling a ball down a flat surface or short lane to knock down as many pins as possible, scoring one point per pin felled.

The game travels well, sets up in minutes on any firm, level ground, and works for mixed-age groups because skill and strength both reward equally. It is a staple of garden parties, pub gardens, and village fetes throughout the UK, and the straightforward scoring means nobody needs a pencil and paper for more than the first round.

A little history

Skittles is one of the oldest pin-bowling games played in Britain, with references to skittle alleys appearing in English records from at least the seventeenth century. The specific kingpin variant, in which one central pin carries special significance, is traditional across the West Country, the Midlands, and parts of Wales, though the precise origin of the kingpin rule is unclear and local customs vary considerably from village to village. Modern garden versions preserve the nine-pin diamond layout that has been played in pub yards and fairgrounds for generations.

Setting up

1. Choose a firm, level surface at least 6 metres long and 1.5 metres wide, free of slopes or obstructions.
2. Place the kingpin first, at the centre of the pin zone, roughly 5 to 6 metres from the throwing line.
3. Arrange the remaining eight pins in a diamond around the kingpin: one pin directly in front, one behind, one to each side, and one in each diagonal, so the full formation looks like a diamond with the kingpin at its heart.
4. Mark a clear throwing line on the ground. Players must keep both feet behind this line when delivering the ball.
5. Appoint a pin-setter or agree on a rotation so someone is always available to reset fallen pins between turns.
6. Decide the number of rounds to be played, typically 3 to 5 for a short game or up to 10 for a full match, and note all players' names on the scoresheet.

How to play

1. Determine the order of play. A single roll each to see who gets closest to the pins without knocking any works well, or simply agree an order before starting.
2. The first player stands behind the throwing line and rolls or throws the ball underarm toward the pins. Overarm throws are not permitted.
3. The ball must be delivered in a single smooth action. The player may not cross or touch the throwing line during delivery; doing so counts as a foul and that delivery scores zero.
4. Count the number of pins knocked down by that single delivery. Each fallen pin scores one point regardless of whether it is the kingpin or a standard pin.
5. If the kingpin is knocked down while at least one other pin also falls in the same delivery, a bonus of five additional points is awarded on top of the normal pin count. If the kingpin falls alone, no bonus is given.
6. If all nine pins fall in a single delivery (a full strike), the player scores nine points plus the five-point kingpin bonus, giving fourteen points for that turn.
7. After scoring, a designated pin-setter resets any fallen pins to their original positions before the next player delivers.
8. Play passes to the next player in order. Each player completes one delivery per round unless the agreed format specifies two deliveries per turn (see Variations).
9. After all players have taken their turn, that round is complete. Record each player's score and reset all pins fully for the next round.
10. Continue for the agreed number of rounds. Running totals should be updated on the scoresheet after every round so all players can track standings.

Winning and scoring

The player with the highest cumulative point total at the end of all agreed rounds wins. In the event of a tie, the tied players each take one additional delivery in sudden-death order; the player who knocks down more pins on that delivery wins. If still level, repeat until the tie is broken. In team play, combine the individual scores of each team's members per round; the team with the highest total at the close of the final round wins.

The fine points

The kingpin bonus is the most common source of dispute. The rule is clear: the bonus of five points applies only when the kingpin falls and at least one other pin falls in the same delivery. A kingpin knocked down in isolation scores one point, no bonus. If a fallen standard pin rebounds and topples the kingpin after the ball has come to rest, the kingpin is still counted as down for that delivery, provided it fell before the pin-setter touches the lane. Pins wobbling or spinning on their base but still upright when the ball stops do not count as fallen.

A delivery where the player's foot crosses the line is a foul; the ball is stopped if possible and no pins are credited. Pins knocked down by a foul delivery must be reset. If the ball leaves the agreed lane boundary before reaching the pins, the delivery counts as played but any pins struck by a ball that has clearly left bounds should not be counted; agree this boundary clearly before the first round to avoid later argument.

How to win more often

• Aim slightly off-centre at the gap between the kingpin and the front pin rather than directly at the kingpin. A ball entering that channel has a good chance of toppling the kingpin while also scattering the adjacent pins, maximising both the base score and the bonus.
• Use a smooth, low roll rather than a high lob. A ball that stays close to the ground travels a truer line and hits the base of the pins where they are least stable.
• Watch how the surface affects the ball's path in the first round before committing to a consistent line. Even a firm garden lawn can have slight camber that pulls the ball left or right.
• In a multi-player game, note which pins your predecessors consistently leave standing. Adapting your target to those orphan pins can pick up easy points that others are ignoring.
• When two deliveries per turn are permitted, treat the first delivery as the attack on the kingpin and reserve the second for mopping up any remaining pins on the flanks.

Variations

Two-Ball Turns

Each player receives two deliveries per turn rather than one. Pins are not reset between the first and second delivery within the same turn; the player aims to clear whatever remains. Score all pins knocked across both deliveries, and the kingpin bonus applies if the kingpin falls at any point during that player's turn provided another pin also falls in the same single delivery that brings the kingpin down.

Team Skittles

Divide players into two teams of equal or near-equal numbers. Teams alternate deliveries rather than individual players taking a strict personal rotation. The team total is accumulated across all members' turns each round. This format works especially well at parties where players want a social rather than competitive feel, and substitutions mid-game are easy to accommodate.

Kingpin-Only Scoring

A simplified version suited to younger children or very casual play. Only the kingpin matters: a player scores five points for toppling the kingpin in any delivery, and zero for everything else regardless of how many standard pins fall. Rounds are short and the game stays tense throughout because every turn is a fresh attempt on the same target.

Elimination Skittles

Set a target score, for example fifty points, that players race to reach exactly. A player who goes over the target on a delivery has their score for that delivery disallowed and they remain on their previous total. The first player to hit the target exactly wins. This creates meaningful late-game tension and encourages precise, controlled deliveries rather than maximum-force efforts.

Kingpin Skittles: frequently asked questions