Editor's note: Sadly, we hear that many schools have banned the playing of
conkers for fear that children will get hurt. As someone who took many a knock
on my knuckles when playing conkers with my brothers as a child, I feel that we
may be over-protecting our children - but will point out, for those unaccustomed
to the game and to prevent any backlash for featuring this article at Activity
Village, that conkers can hurt!
By Sharon Jacobsen
In an age where children spend a huge percentage of their free time
playing with expensive computer games, it's nice to know that some
old-fashioned games are still being played outdoors and cost absolutely
nothing.
During the fall, wherever you find horse chestnut trees you'll find
children playing conkers. It's a game that was enjoyed by their parents,
their grandparents, and even their great grandparents and, hopefully,
their own children will one day enjoy it, too.
What is A Conker?
A conker is a hard brown nut that's encapsulated in a green, prickly
case produced by the Horse Chestnut tree. The cases fall from trees when
they're ripe and can easily be collected from the ground.
In contrast to the nuts produced by the Sweet Chestnut tree, conkers are
NOT to be eaten by humans.
Choosing A Conker
If you're serious about your game, choose your conkers carefully. The
best ones are symmetrical in form, firm to the touch and should be
uncracked.
Use the water test. If a conker is damaged inside it will float in water
so this is a good way of testing the density of your nut. Floaters
should be discarded while those that sink to the bottom will be the
hardest and the best.
Preparing A Conker for Play
Make a hole through the middle of your conker, going from the dull area
at the top and down through the bottom. A thin skewer or hand-drill is
useful for this.
Choose string that doesn't break easily and thread a length about 12
inches long through the hole and tie a knot at one end to stop it from
pulling through.
There are several ways to make your conkers harder, including:
Bake the conker in the oven on a low heat for 30 minutes
Soak the conker in vinegar overnight
Put conkers away to use the following year (they harden with age).
How To Play Conkers
Two players are needed, each with a conker of his own. Each player holds
his conker from the string and attempts to hit the opposing conker.
If your conker is the one being hit, you should let it hang down with
the string wrapped around two or three fingers to secure it - you don't
want your conker flying off when it's hit! It's up to your opponent to
decide how high your conker should be held and it's important it's held
still.
If you're the striker, you should wrap the string around your hand in
the same way as you would if your conker was being hit. You should then
take the conker in your other hand and draw it back, ready to strike. As
you release the conker, you should swing it down and try to hit your
opponent's conker. If you're successful, this is called a strike. If you
miss, you're allowed two more goes before swapping positions.
If, when making a shot, the strings tangle together, the first player to
call "strings" is awarded an extra shot.
If a player drops his conker or has it knocked out of his hand, the
opposing player can call "stamps" and jump on it. End of one conker!
However, if the owner calls "no stamps" first, the conker is safe
(unless it smashed when it hit the ground, of course).
The game continues until one conker is completely destroyed; the one
with the remaining conker is the winner.
Good luck!
Sharon Jacobsen is a freelancer content writer living in South Cheshire,
England. For a competitive fee she will happily populate your website
with interesting, key-word rich articles on any subject of your choice.
