At the park, in your backyard or in your alley, even in the comfort of your own home if you don’t care too much about your floor. Any type of terrain is suitable for Mölkky, also known as Finnish bowling. Lucas Colney and Vianney Perezelin have chosen La Fontaine Park in Montreal to organize their first friendly Finnish bowling tournaments this summer.
Mölkky in brief
Rules : The principle is simple. You have to knock down pins numbered from 1 to 12 using a short wooden log thrown about 3 meters. The player accumulates with each throw the number of points equivalent to either the number of pins he knocked down, or the number written on the pin when he knocks down only one. After the shot, the pins are picked up where they fell, starting from the base. The game will gradually disperse. The first player to reach 50 points is declared the winner. But not one more! Otherwise, the participant falls back to 25. Last rule: after three consecutive missed throws, you must leave the game.
Number of participants: From two players. Played individually or in teams of two.
Origin : Invented in 1996 by the Finnish company Lahden Paikka, Mölkky is a simplified version of a traditional game, kyykkä, still played in the Karelian countryside, a region spanning Finland and Russia. It crossed borders in the mid-2000s and has spread to several countries, particularly France.
There were a dozen of them who met up on a cloudy Thursday evening in July for the chance to win the grand prize: a basket full of Quebec artisanal products.
“We wanted to participate in this kind of good-natured event where there are not too many people and play games that you can’t necessarily play at home,” explains one of the instigators, Vianney Perezelin, 27, who has been an occasional player for five years. The entrance fee to participate is $10.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Mölkky players gathered at La Fontaine Park
“It’s not a big deal not to win, it’s the atmosphere that counts,” admits Laetitia Espende, who is playing for the second time.
Maxime Rosio, winner of the third edition of the tournament, particularly appreciates the “fun” side and the fact that “you have time to talk with others” during a game.
Why start?
In Mölkky, since chance is also part of the game, everyone is more or less equal, which adds to the interest in starting.
“If a beginner plays against a champion, he can very well win a round,” confirms the president of the French Mölkky Federation, which brings together more than 1,200 competitive level players, Bruno Boulay.
-
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
To win, you have to reach 50 points, not one more!
-
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
A player executes her throw.
-
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
At first, the pins are gathered together. Then, over the course of a game, they gradually disperse.
-
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
A player replaces the fallen pins.
1/4
Also, the game is still in its early stages, which hasn’t left time for some to acquire unstoppable expertise.
In pétanque, there is always an uncle who is better than us, but in Mölkky, he has no more chance.
Bruno Boulay, president of the French Mölkky Federation
Although many have noted the friendly and accessible side of Finnish bowling – “a game of friends and barbecue,” as Mr. Boulay would say – there is still a technical challenge that can cause surprises. A single poorly executed or poorly chosen shot can tip the tide of the game.
“There is a part of strategy to be done which is interesting,” notes Lucas Colney.
“No two games are alike,” concludes the president of the French Federation.