It was a surprising turn of events because I’ve never been much of a yard-game gal. Growing up, cornhole felt too basic, croquet had a stuffy air, and I was quickly beaten in badminton by an older brother. And, as an adult, I’ve mostly lived in yardless apartments.
But the king’s game is different. It’s relatively portable. It’s just complex enough to hold your attention but simple enough that you can socialize. It takes skill and strategy but not necessarily athleticism — you can eke out a win over a seemingly more adept opponent.
The game — called kubb (pronounced “koob”) in the US — is composed of 10 smaller wooden blocks, or kubbs, one large wooden block (the king), and six wooden batons. Most sets also come with stakes to mark the field as well as a carrying case for easy transport.
Top pick
This versatile, relatively portable outdoor game can accommodate two to 12 players of all ages. It’s perfect for outdoor parties, backyard hangs, or sunny days in the park.
As with many games, the rules are more complicated to describe than to execute in real life, but it mostly involves throwing batons to knock over the opponent’s baseline kubbs. These fallen kubbs are thrown into the field to become field kubbs, which must also be knocked over. At the end, you have to knock over the king, the largest block positioned at the center of the field. (You might be better served by this rules page, which has a fun three-minute explainer video.)
As I spent more time in Europe, I played the king’s game beyond the park. More than once, I played a post-dinner, pre-dessert game in the yard of a Danish family. I played it in Germany with a group of colleagues, where, incidentally, they called it the Viking game.
I began to see its versatility. It was just as enjoyable as a two-person showdown as it was for a party game of 12. You could play it with a bunch of adults or you could play it with grandparents and kids. It was perfect for an outdoor party, for a post-grilling backyard break, or to take along in the car on a chill weekend trip to the country.
While I’ve never played it on sand, dirt, or snow, it’s apparently possible. And unlike some of the aforementioned games of my youth, it’s relatively portable; it’s a yard game you can enjoy even if you don’t have a yard.
While kubb isn’t as well known in the US, it does have a loyal following — including in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, home to the largest weekly league in the world.
Eric Anderson, director of the U.S. National Kubb Championship in Eau Claire, told me he loves kubb because it’s a strategic game where any one can have success regardless of age, strength, or gender.
“We have had people that are young teenagers and seniors both do well here at the Championship,” he told me in an email. “It also is a game where players have to interact with their opponent, which isn’t always the case in other sports. It can be played at an extremely recreational level and also at a very elite level… both of which are extremely fun.”
My colleagues at Wirecutter recommend it, too. It’s recently become a top pick in our guide to outdoor games, and before that it was a staple in our gift guides (such as our guides to the best gifts for families and the best last-minute Father’s Day gifts). It would make a great housewarming present.
The game is typically sold in two sizes: garden (also called backyard or yard) and tournament (also called standard or regulation*). The garden size has slightly smaller, lighter pieces and tends to be less expensive.
Anderson recommends that even casual players stick with the tournament size, if possible. “The garden/yard sizes make the game more difficult,” he said. “It is harder to control the batons when throwing, they are much more susceptible to wind, and the kubbs are a much smaller target to hit.” That said, my tournament-size GoSports Kubb Viking Game set is fairly heavy — about 20 pounds — so it’s a bit of a workout to walk it to the park. Garden-size sets can easily be 5 pounds lighter.
Kubb is also amenable to house rules. In Denmark, I was taught a simplified version that I still use. Once a kubb is knocked over twice — that is, once as a baseline kubb and once as a field kubb — it’s taken out of the game.
Anderson told me this is one of the most common unofficial rules people play. While the legit rule of keeping all the kubbs in the game requires more strategy and offers teams more opportunities to have a comeback, the house rule does tend to make the game shorter. “It is ok to make whatever rules you want,” Anderson assured me. If you’re playing with kids, you can use fewer blocks, have younger kids throw from the half line, or create a smaller field. You have plenty of options.
As for me, I continue to be in the unlikely position of being a yardless yard-game advocate. So while some people may host kubb tournaments in their backyards between dinner and dessert, it gives me the chance to throw batons around in unexpected places. I’ve played in a castle garden and behind a historic penitentiary, and, eventually, I imagine I’ll play in Central Park. Speaking of, I’m off to challenge my partner to a game in the grass behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
*Turns out, not all kubb sets sold as tournament/regulation sizes actually meet official guidelines. If you plan to play in a tournament, be sure to check the legit regulation sizes against the dimensions of the set you want. Serious players may also want to look for a set that comes with six stakes (four for the corners and two for midfield)—many sets come with just four corner stakes. The U.S. National Kubb Championship recommends sets from one of its sponsors, JP’s Backyard Games.
This article was edited by Hannah Rimm and Maxine Builder.
