Gourt > Games > Hand Eye Coordination > Marbles
Marbles is a class of children's games played with glass, clay, or agate balls usually about ½ inch (1¼ cm) across. However, they may range from less than ¼ inch (6 mm) to over 3 inches (7¾ cm), while some art glass marbles for display purposes are over 12 inches (30 cm) wide. Marbles are often collected, both for nostalgia and for their aesthetic appeal.
Gameplay
One version of the game involves drawing a circle in sand, and players will take turns knocking other players' marbles out of the circle with their own. This game is called ringer. Other versions involve shooting marbles at target marbles or into holes in the ground. A larger-scale game of marbles might involve taking turns trying to hit an opponent's marble to win. A useful strategy is to throw a marble so that it lands in a protected or difficult location should it miss the target. As with many children's games, new rules are devised all the time, and each group is likely to have its own version, often customised to the environment.
One such specialized game is called gaipar, popular in Bengal. Each player contributes four marbles, which are positioned on the edge of a rectangle. One special marble (the gai) is placed in the center. Players take turns to hit the marbles on the rectangle with a bigger marble (often called a boulder or matris). The marbles hit by the matris must be propelled out of the rectangle. If they are hit but remain within the rectangle, the player plays one more marble as a forfeit which is placed within the rectangle. The aim of the game is to hit the central gai and take it out of the rectangle. This is not easy when there are marbles on the periphery. If a player can take out the gai, he wins all the marbles. However, other players then get a chance to hit the gai-taker's boulder and, if successful, all the marbles change ownership.
More on [ Marbles ]
Koestritzer Schwarzmurmler Marblesite - Devoted to the cultivation of traditional childrens games and the spreading of the marble playing. [English/German]
Meta Description: [ Seite über Murmeln, Schusser, Gliggerles, Bucker, Stinnerten und die Spiele, die damit gemacht werden. ]
Marble History - Detailed essay on the history of marbles and the games which can be played with them.
Marbles - Rules for a variety of games.
Mondial Billes - Official site for the 'World Marbles on Sand Championship' in which a many countries participate each year.
Meta Description: [ Mondial Billes - Championnat du monde de billes sur sable - pour enfants et adultes. Devenez Champion du Monde ! World Marbles on Sand championship - a unique fun event for all the family played on sand. World Final held in Royan - France each august. ]
National Marbles Tournament - Description of events and photographs. Located in Wildwood, New Jersey.
Meta Description: [ Wildwood, New Jersey, Home of The National Marbles Hall of Fame and National Marbles Tournament ]
National Marbles Tournament - Information on tournament that was founded in 1922. Pictures, game information, stories, and a hall of fame.
Shooting Marbles, Mountaineer Style - The West Virginia Marble Shooters Association conducts tournaments and offers advice on how to organize a tournament. Includes online store.
Single International Marble Scoring - Classic game with a twist. Offers new rules, information and tournaments.
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