The Game of Washers Bariboshi style · Version 1.9
Zabbadat is a game of skill and a movement practice. Players pitch washers at one box, score to 21, and may log steps and time. Coordination, breath, and attention come first; the contest follows.
These regulations govern official play. House rules may be used only if all players agree before the first Bariboshi.
1.1 The first player or team to 21 points wins the match.
1.2 In tracked Zabbadat, finish with the fewest steps and the quickest time. The public board ranks finished games by fewest steps, then fastest time.
1.3 Official tracked scoring: +5 bank, +3 shoot, +2 box-bound. Use −1 only to correct an entry.
2.1 One box only. Every pitch in a match is made at that box.
2.2 The box contains one recessed cup.
2.3 Official distance is 20 feet (6.10 m) from the front edge of the rubber to the center of the cup. Other distances are allowed for practice or juniors and are not certified.
2.4 The rubber is the official pitching station: a clearly marked strip or pad fixed at the pitching distance.
2.5 Each player or team pitches a pack of 3 washers of the same color and size. Recommended washer: 2.5 in diameter, 1 in center hole, steel, about 4 oz.
2.6 Washers are pitched underhand. Any other delivery is illegal.
2.7 The Zabba is an official piece. Idle, it is a backboard. Summoned, it is a blocker. It must be clearly distinguishable from washers and never scores.
3.1 Play is singles or teams of two.
3.2 Both sides pitch from the same rubber at the same box.
3.3 When a pitch is initiated, the pitcher must be standing on the rubber and touching the rubber.
3.4 Failure to stand on or touch the rubber at initiation is a foot fault. That washer is dead and scores 0. The rest of the pack may still be pitched.
3.5 After release, the pitcher may step off the rubber and must return onto it before initiating the next pitch.
3.6 Players not pitching shall stand clear of the rubber and the flight path.
4.1 To start a match, each player pitches one washer at the box from the rubber. That opening pitch is the Bariboshi.
4.2 Closest to the cup, or in the cup, pitches first. Next-closest pitches next.
4.3 If two or more land in the cup, those players Bariboshi again until order is settled.
4.4 During the Bariboshi the Zabba sits idle behind the box unless the table agrees otherwise.
5.1 A pack is 3 washers.
5.2 A turn is one pack: all 3 washers pitched in succession, one at a time, before the opponent pitches.
5.3 A round ends when every player due to pitch has pitched one pack and scoring is agreed. Washers stay in the box until scoring is finished.
5.4 The first pitcher of a round pitches a pack of 3. The opponent then pitches a pack of 3. Both pitch from the rubber at the same box.
5.5 After the first round, the side that scored more in the previous round pitches first.
5.6 If nobody scored, or the round was tied, the previous order stands.
5.7 A player who starts a pack must finish that pack, except for injury, agreed delay, or a foul that ends the remaining washers of the pack.
6.1 Score each washer by its final lie after both packs have been pitched, unless it was already ruled dead.
Bank — 5. First strikes the idle Zabba behind the box, then comes to rest in the box or cup. Either lie is 5. Hit the idle Zabba and finish outside the box: 0.
Shoot — 3. Fully in the cup, not a bank.
Box-bound — 2. In the box, not a shoot, not a bank. Anything in the box counts.
Out — 0. Fully outside the box, or dead/fouled.
6.6 No closest-to-the-cup point.
6.7 Later pitch moves a washer: score the final lie. Struck the idle Zabba and later moved in bounds: still a bank.
6.8 Highest legal value only. A bank is 5, not 5 plus 3 or 2.
6.9 Cap and full cancellation are optional and must be announced before the Bariboshi.
Idle: behind the box as a shared backboard. Summoned: first-pitch side places it on the box as a blocker after pickup, before the next pack. Opponent washers that hit a summoned Zabba are blocked (0). First-pitch side is not blocked. Banks exist only off the idle Zabba. Return it behind the box after the round unless summoned again.
Clock stops at 11. Steps are logged as movement around the single-box court.
Log steps retrieving the pack and returning to the rubber. Start the clock on the first competitive pitch. Mini board stops at 11.
Foot fault, not underhand, moving pieces before scoring, summoning without first-pitch rights, pitching at another target, or pitching the wrong pack size. Foul washer scores 0.
On the line of the box is in the box if any part is in. Unsettled bank-contact or other disputes: Bariboshi-winner or referee. Rules announced before the Bariboshi control the match.
| Event | Result |
|---|---|
| Style | The Game of Washers Bariboshi style |
| Field | One box. Both pitch from the rubber. |
| Distance | 20 feet, rubber to cup center |
| Start | Bariboshi — one pitch each |
| Turn | Pack of 3, then opponent pack of 3 |
| Bank / Shoot / Box-bound | 5 / 3 / 2 |
| Summoned Zabba | Opponent hit = blocked, 0 |
| Match / Bariboshi | First to 21 |
| Mini board | Clock stops at 11 |