Tiddlywinks is a game for four players who play in two pairs. In Singles matches each player operates two sets of colored counters (winks) rather than one. There are 6 winks (4 small and 2 large) of each color (blue, green, red and yellow). The winks are played by using a "squidger"; this is any circular disc between 1 and 2 inches in diameter. Players use different squidgers for different shots (like selecting a club in golf). The game is played on a six foot by three foot felt mat, with a pot place d in the center. Play is time limited. Pairs matches last for 25 minutes and Singles matches last for 20, after which each color has a further five rounds, ending with the color that started.
The aim of the game is to secure the highest number of time limit points. Three time limit points are scored for each wink in the pot and one for each wink which remains uncovered by other winks on the mat. The player who scores the most time limit poin ts gets 4 game points, the player who comes second gets two points, and the player who comes third gets one point. In pairs, partners add their points together. Thus there are always seven points in every game. In matches and tournaments game points are usually added to produce a final total score for the tournament, so that the margin by which games are won, rather than just the number of games won, is important.
If one player gets all his/her six winks into the pot he/she is deemed to have won by "potting out". Any winks covered are then released and two more colors must also get all their winks into the pot to distribute the seven points. The side which potted out is rewarded by the transfer of one point from their opponents' score to their own score. For example, if one side finishes first and second in a pot-out game, their score is 7-0 rather than 6-1.
Although potting out potentially provides the best score for the winners, pot-outs are rarer than might be expected. The reason is that if any wink is covered by another, the lower wink is said to be "squopped" and cannot be played. It must be rescued by another wink of that partnership. A shot which starts on the top wink of a pile may continue through underlying winks and thus squopped winks may be rescued in this way. Why not risk the pot-out? The answer is simple. If the color that is potting ou t misses one shot at the pot, his wink may be captured by the opponents. If several of his winks are already in the pot, he and his partner have far fewer winks on the mat with which to fight their opponents. The chances of rescuing the squopped wink are low, and the probability that the opposition will be able to maneuver themselves into a winning position is high.
Hence true winks is a game of strategy. A pair must capture and guard their opponents' winks whilst preserving their own. The basic skills of the game can be learned in days, but the strategic knowledge of players takes years to acquire and can always be improved. Complex tactical games can develop with lots of small piles and the choice of where to attack; alternatively you may find yourself in a game in which all winks end up in a huge pile; or one of your opponents takes the calculated gamble of trying to pot-out...
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