Frequently Asked Questions

What is candlepin bowling?

Candlepin bowling is a variation of bowling that is confined to the New
England states of Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire
and to the Canadian Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia
and Prince Edward Island (with one isolated candlepin center in
Wyoming, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio). It has been said that
isolated candlepin centers have existed in Florida and California, but only
one (now closed) center in California has been confirmed.

It was developed in 1880 in Worcester, Massachusetts by a local
bowling alley owner, Justin White. As in other forms of bowling, the
players roll balls down a wooden pathway to knock down as many pins
as possible. The main differences between candlepin bowling and
ten-pin bowling are that each player uses three balls per frame (see
below), the balls are much smaller and do not have holes, the fallen pins
('deadwood' or simply 'wood') are not cleared away between balls
during a player's turn, and the pins are thinner, and thus harder to knock
down. Because of these differences, scoring points is considerably
more difficult than in ten-pin bowling, and the highest officially sanctioned
score is only 245 out of a possible 300 points (although the validity of that
record is disputed to this day).

The maximum regulation ball weight is 2 pounds 7 ounces (1.105 kg), and
with the regulated pin weight being only slightly heavier at 2 pounds 8
ounces (1.134 kg) the sport could be said to pose a greater challenge to
the player—due to the almost non-existent difference of the weight
between the ball and one candlepin—than any of the other forms of
bowling that use ten pins in them.

Candlepin bowling rules and regulations have been standardized by the
International Candlepin Bowling Association. While CG has no connection
to and/or affiliation with the ICBA, we support the organization's efforts
to promote and grow the game. Click here below for more information on
the ICBA.

What are some of the things that make candlepin bowling unique?

A game of candlepin bowling, often called a string in New England, is divided into ten rounds,
each of these rounds being most commonly referred to as a "box," rather than a "frame" as in
ordinary ten-pin bowling. In each box, each player is given three opportunities to knock down the
pins. They roll their first ball at the pins. Whatever pins are knocked down are counted and scored
(if a ball rolls into one of the gutters that run along either side of this pathway—called the
'lane'—no pins will be knocked down, and no points will be scored, even if a pin (or pins) felled by
a previous shot, usually called dead wood in New England, partially protrudes into the gutter and
knocks down a standing pin or pins after being struck by a ball rolled into the gutter). Then the
player rolls a second and a third ball at any remaining targets. In the event that all ten pins were
knocked down with the first ball (a 'strike'), they receive points and a bonus, and play passes to
the next competitor. If all ten pins were knocked down with two balls (a 'spare'), they also receive
points and a bonus, and play passes to the next competitor. A player has no more than three balls
to play in each box, so even if they neglect to knock over all of the pins, after they have taken
three shots, play passes to the next competitor. Another variation includes playing two frames (or
boxes) at a time, then passing play to the next competitor.

The ten candlepins are automatically set by machine into a triangle with 4 pins in the back row,
then 3, 2, and finally 1 in the front, at the center of the lane. As in ten-pin bowling, due to the
spacing of the pins, it is impossible for the ball to strike every one. However, while in ten-pin a
well-placed ball (usually between the front pin and one of its nearest neighbors) will result in a
strike from the chain reaction of pin hitting pin, in candlepin the smaller thickness of the pins makes
that extremely difficult, and thus, very rare. In general, a forcefully thrown ball hitting near the
center of the pins will result in many pins being knocked down, but not all. In order to count, the
pin must be knocked over entirely; in unlucky circumstances, a pin may wobble furiously, yet
come to rest upright, thus not being scored (and will not be reset to its original position for any
shots that remain).

In addition, a line exists ten feet down the lane from the foul line; this is the lob line, and the ball
must first contact the lane at a point on the bowler's side of it. Violation of this rule constitutes a
lob and any pins knocked down by such a ball do not count, and the pins so fallen are not reset if
the lobbed ball was not the third and last shot for that player in that box (in some older alleys the
method of enforcing this rule is not automated, and an employee of the establishment, known as a
"lob-line judge," needs to be hired).

Also, a third line, centered two feet in front of the head pin (number-1 pin) spot is the dead wood
line, which defines the maximum forward limit that any dead wood can occupy and still be legally
playable. This lane specification essentially results in the presence of three foul lines, one each
for the bowler, ball, and pins, more than in any other bowling sport.