Calm down

Salam alaykum

The oft heard ideas to enhance the carrom experience are welcome, but often ludicrous.

Chief among these is the notion to put tiny LED lights on the inside of a board's frame which would flicker or flash when a piece gets dropped into a pocket. Or, too, that a striker could bear an LED light on it's roof. 

SCL member John McManus, who earns a buck as a spark, says that, whilst feasible, such innovations would of course cost money. He gave a free estimate and quoted £400 to fit frame lights and another £120 to customise a striker. Plus labour: £500. Plus parts. The prohibitive costs consign this idea to the dustbin of nonsense. On a personal note, there is no way I'd tart up my board with such seaside arcade tawdry.

Next. Using binoculars or a compass to assess the probability of a successful shot. This was tried at my board pre-lockdown and found to be pointless. Furthermore, such practice extended game time by, on average, 20 minutes.

Mushrooms. The jury is out. While they can enhance the aesthetic and philosophic experience of a game, there is little proof that your gameplay is improved.

Fitting pockets with bluetooth to trigger I Just Can't Get Enough from a paired device when a succesful shot is made. Get a grip. 

Donning formal couture like karate or judo practioners or snooker players. Jog on.

Carrom is beautiful, revered and solid. It is not broke - so let's not fix it. 

In the words of SCL member (and sage) Paul McCole, "Calm doon - we've aw had a wee drink."