Tiddlywinks Rules: Complete Guide to the Classic Dexterity Game

Tiddlywinks — a competitive "squidging" game with surprising depth. Standard rules (English Tiddlywinks Association / NATwA):

Equipment

• Mat: 6 ft × 3 ft felt (or flat cloth).
• Pot: 1.5" diameter cup, centered.
• Winks: 4 colors × 6 small (1") + 2 large (1.25") = 32 total.
• Squidger: 1"–1.5" disc per player (thicker, heavier).

Setup

• Players sit at mat corners.
• Each places their 6 small + 2 large winks in a **line 3" from pot edge**, spaced evenly.
• Squidger held between thumb & forefinger.

Play

1. Squidge: Press squidger down on wink's edge → wink flies. Goal: land in pot.
2. Turn: One squidge per turn. Clockwise.
3. Potting: Wink in pot = removed, scores 1 point.
4. Squopping: Landing *on* opponent's wink **covers** it. Covered wink immobile until uncovering.
5. Freeing: Squidge your squidger onto *your* covered wink → if it jumps free, both mobile.
6. Potting covered wink: If you pot a stack, **only top wink scores**; rest remain.

Scoring & Winning

• Game ends when all winks potted or time limit (25 min tournament).
• Points: 1 per potted wink. Large winks = 1 pt (same).
• Partnership (pairs): Combined score.

Key Rules

• No touching winks/squidger with hands (except setup).
• Squidger must stay on mat during shot.
• Winks off mat = out of play (return to owner's baseline).
• Simultaneous pot + squop: If your wink lands in pot *on top* of opponent's, both score (yours potted, theirs covered in pot).

Strategy Highlights

• Early game: Pot your own; squop opponents near pot.
• Mid game: Build "fortresses" (stacks) to control area.
• Endgame: Force opponent to squop you → free → pot.
• Blind shots: Squidge from behind hand — legal, psychological.

Competitive Scene

• ETwA / NATwA — national championships, world ratings.
• Cambridge / MIT / Oxford — historic university rivalry.

Deceptively simple; deeply tactical. "The only sport where you can beat a grandmaster at 14."