Kho Kho Rules: How to Play Kho Kho Game

These kho kho rules explain one of India's best loved playground games, from the size of the kho kho ground to how many players take the field and how points are scored. Kho kho is a chasing game, but with a clever twist: the chasers sit in a line, facing alternate directions, and only one may chase at a time. To pass the chase to a teammate, the active chaser touches a seated player from behind and calls "kho". It is fast, tactical and wonderful for fitness, which is why it is played in nearly every school in the country and now in professional leagues too.

Quick rules

• Two teams of 12 players; 9 take the field when chasing.
• Eight chasers sit in the squares of the central lane, facing alternate sides. The ninth is the active chaser.
• Runners (defenders) enter the field three at a time.
• The active chaser tries to touch a runner. To hand over the chase, they touch a seated teammate from behind and say "kho" loudly.
• The active chaser may not cross the central lane and may not turn back once running towards a post.
• Each runner touched out, or who steps out of the field, gives the chasing team 1 point.
• A match has two innings. Each team chases once and defends once per innings. Most points wins.

What you need

• A flat rectangular ground, ideally soft earth or a mat surface.
• Two smooth wooden posts, about 120 to 125 cm high above the ground and 9 to 10 cm thick.
• Lime powder, chalk or tape to mark lines.
• A stopwatch, a whistle and a referee (in formal matches, two umpires, a referee and a timekeeper).
• Bibs or coloured bands to tell the teams apart. Our team generator helps split a class fairly.

The kho kho ground

The current standard kho kho court is a rectangle 27 m long and 16 m wide. Older rule books give 29 m x 16 m, and many school grounds still use that size.

Where each cross lane meets the central lane, a 35 cm x 30 cm square is formed. These eight squares are where the seated chasers sit. For a school or backyard game, simply scale the ground down and use two cones or poles as posts.

Players

Each team has 12 players. When chasing, nine are on the field: eight seated chasers and one active chaser. The other three are substitutes. When defending, the runners come in batches of three. Once all three in a batch are out, the next batch must enter immediately.

How to play

Setting up a turn

1. Toss a coin. The winning captain chooses to chase or defend first.
2. The eight chasers sit in the squares of the central lane. Neighbours face opposite sides of the field, so the line alternates left, right, left, right.
3. The active chaser stands at one of the posts, ready to start.
4. The first three runners enter the field. On the whistle the turn begins.

Chasers and runners

1. Runners may move anywhere inside the field, including across the central lane, and dodge between the seated chasers.
2. The active chaser tries to touch a runner with the hand. A touched runner is out and leaves the field through the sitting box.
3. The active chaser must not cross the central lane. To reach the other half, they run round a post or pass the chase with a kho.
4. Once the active chaser starts moving towards one post, they must keep going in that direction. They cannot turn back towards the other post.

Giving a kho

1. The active chaser runs up behind a seated chaser who faces the side where a runner is, touches them on the back with the palm and says "kho" loudly and clearly.
2. The seated chaser gets up and becomes the new active chaser, leaving the square towards the side they were facing.
3. The old active chaser immediately sits in the empty square.
4. A seated chaser may not get up before receiving a kho.

Scoring and match format

A match has two innings, and in each innings both teams chase once and defend once. Under the traditional rules each turn lasts 9 minutes; newer formats, including recent international events, use 7-minute turns, so check which rule your tournament follows. The team with more points at the end wins. If scores are tied, an extra innings is played. A team leading by enough points after the first innings may ask the other team to chase again, known as a follow-on.

Fouls

• Crossing the central lane: the active chaser steps across or reaches over the lane.
• Turning back: the active chaser changes direction after starting towards a post.
• Early getting up: a seated chaser rises before receiving a kho.
• Bad kho: giving a kho without touching, from the front, without a clear call, or by stretching an arm or leg towards a teammate.
• Leaving the post wrongly: an active chaser at a post leaving in a direction other than allowed.
• Rough play: pushing, tripping or holding a runner, which can bring a warning or a card.

When a chaser fouls, the umpire whistles. Any runner touched during the foul is not out, and the active chaser must go back and correct the move, usually by running the other way or giving a fresh kho. Repeated or rough fouls lead to a yellow card, and serious misconduct to a red card.

How to win

Score more points than the other team over the two innings. Chasers win points by tagging runners quickly; runners help their side by staying in as long as possible.

Variations

• League format: professional leagues use seven players a side on the field, shorter turns and bonus points for runners who survive a set time.
• School game: use a smaller ground, fewer chasers (six seated plus one active) and 5-minute turns for younger children.
• Single innings: for a quick game in a PT period, play one innings only.

Tips and strategy

• Chasers: give quick khos instead of chasing far. A fresh chaser close to the runner beats a tired one running round the field.
• Chasers: watch which way each seated teammate faces. Kho the one facing the runner's side.
• Runners: use the space near the posts and zigzag through the line of seated chasers to make kho angles hard.
• Runners: keep away from the boundary. Stepping out is an easy point for the other team.
• Everyone: practise the call. A loud, clear "kho" avoids umpire whistles.

Common mistakes

• Seated chasers jumping up before they are touched.
• Active chasers turning back mid-run.
• Runners entering late after a batch is out.

Kho kho fits beautifully into any sports day alongside kabaddi, tug of war, lagori and gilli danda. For more ideas, see our guide to Indian traditional games.