The people of the Baltic States are well known for their love of culture and sports– go to the ballet, the theatre, the hockey or maybe just head off down to the pub and have a game of Novuss. Novuss? What on earth is that? Novuss, or Koroona as it is known in Estonia is Pa rather enjoyable local table-top game for two or four players and it is unbelievably addictive. There is something strangely satisfying about watching beautifully crafted wooden pucks glide across a smooth table surface and plop into a velvety corner-pocket.
Novuss is currently played and enjoyed by a small, dedicated group of fans but surely has great potential for wider appeal. The finals of the 2014 European Novuss Championships, recently held in Priekule in south western Latvia, were attended by nearly 200 competitors.
Novuss is said to have come into Latvia in 1927, brought here by sailors who had played it in quayside pubs and bars in the UK. Being a native of the British Isles, I am a little suspicious of its supposed origins. The game is more likely to have been discovered by British servicemen based in the Far East who then brought it home and continued to play it in naffis and barracks around Britain. I recall seeing something similar in the British servicemen's clubs of Hong Kong where I was brought up. Whatever its origins, Novuss has come to be seen as a typically Latvian game.
Latvian sailors began playing the game while at sea because unlike billiards, the ‘balls’ are actually flat disks and therefore do not succumb to the pitching and rolling of the ocean.
In earlier days the rules would have been a loose set of changeable ideas that could easily be misinterpreted, leading to all sorts of ugly altercations and misunderstandings. Thankfully, someone had the idea of writing all the rules down, thus setting them in stone, and in 1932 the first Novuss rule book appeared.
These rules, that are still in use today, are very straight forward – each player has eight pucks that must be pocketed in any of the four corner pockets. The player uses a cue to aim a striker-puck at one or more of his or her own eight pucks. If you pocket an opponent’s puck by mistake, or the striker-puck ends up in the pocket, you get a penalty puck placed back on the table. Of course, there are restrictions as to where you can shoot from, but that is just about it.
The game is taken so seriously that every year an International Novuss tournament is held somewhere in Europe. This year it took place in the Preklude in south west Latvia. The tournament is run by The Federation International of Novuss-Sports Organisations (FINSO). Although a predominantly European concern, Finso boasts members from as far away as the United States. Although the US team was nowhere in sight at this year's final.
The Americans were not the only people notable by their absence. Although there were one or two women players, most of the hard-core Novuss fans who had made it through to the final were middle-aged men. FINSO president, Juris Kiriks is aware of what is needed for more people get involved in the game. ‘We need more competitions and more sponsorship so that young people can go abroad and take part in events’ he said. Things didn't used to be like this. Novuss was more widely popular during the Soviet era with over 55 thousand players registered in Latvia. But in those days the game was ubiquitous. ‘There were tables in every sports palace, school and court yard in those days but (after the end of the Soviet Union) the game went into decline. The tables, which were not built to last, fell into disrepair and were just not replaced.'
In earlier days the rules would have been a loose set of changeable ideas that could easily be misinterpreted, leading to all sorts of ugly altercations and misunderstandings. Thankfully, someone had the idea of writing all the rules down, thus setting them in stone, and in 1932 the first Novuss rule book appeared.
These rules, that are still in use today, are very straight forward – each player has eight pucks that must be pocketed in any of the four corner pockets. The player uses a cue to aim a striker-puck at one or more of his or her own eight pucks. If you pocket an opponent’s puck by mistake, or the striker-puck ends up in the pocket, you get a penalty puck placed back on the table. Of course, there are restrictions as to where you can shoot from, but that is just about it.
The game is taken so seriously that every year an International Novuss tournament is held somewhere in Europe. This year it took place in the Preklude in south west Latvia. The tournament is run by The Federation International of Novuss-Sports Organisations (FINSO). Although a predominantly European concern, Finso boasts members from as far away as the United States. Although the US team was nowhere in sight at this year's final.
The Americans were not the only people notable by their absence. Although there were one or two women players, most of the hard-core Novuss fans who had made it through to the final were middle-aged men. FINSO president, Juris Kiriks is aware of what is needed for more people get involved in the game. ‘We need more competitions and more sponsorship so that young people can go abroad and take part in events’ he said. Things didn't used to be like this. Novuss was more widely popular during the Soviet era with over 55 thousand players registered in Latvia. But in those days the game was ubiquitous. ‘There were tables in every sports palace, school and court yard in those days but (after the end of the Soviet Union) the game went into decline. The tables, which were not built to last, fell into disrepair and were just not replaced.'
One veteran from the Soviet Era, Imants Lomels returned to Latvia from military service in Siberia in 1970. Cold-war weary, Lomels was eager for something to help him relax. While routing through his parents' attic one day, he came across a Novuss table. He immediately took it downstairs and began to play. Within a year he had won his first competition.
Lomels continued to play through the collapse of the Soviet Union and the establishment of an independent Latvia. During the years thing he has noticed though, is a resurgence in the game’s popularity, ‘Interest in the game seems to be on the rise again. Globally it is seen as a Latvian national game and it is officially one of Latvia’s national sports. It's a great game because it's so easy to learn.'
Lomels continued to play through the collapse of the Soviet Union and the establishment of an independent Latvia. During the years thing he has noticed though, is a resurgence in the game’s popularity, ‘Interest in the game seems to be on the rise again. Globally it is seen as a Latvian national game and it is officially one of Latvia’s national sports. It's a great game because it's so easy to learn.'
The German Novuss team is made up entirely of Eastern Europeans who have settled in Germany, where Novuss is promoted as a game for all. Team member Alexandr Grosny was among those immigrants who in 2008 formed the German International Federation of Novuss. About fifty percent of the federation’s members are local Germans while the rest are immigrants. ‘Novuss could be seen as being a ‘sport without borders’ he says, ‘It unites people who might not even be able to speak each other’s languages. It is a means of communication, in fact it is a language in itself.’
Language is not the only barrier the federation wants to break down. The German organisation encourages young and old, able bodied and disabled players to play in mixed competitions. The only categories it observes is male and female competitions.
Grosny also operates the Playbus - a 'toy library on wheels' - which travels around Germany promoting Novuss and other ‘actual’ games. ‘Real games like Novuss get kids away from their computer screens and out into the community where they can engage in actual communication. Whenever we bring Novuss tables to the kids they tend to lose interest in their computer games.’
Language is not the only barrier the federation wants to break down. The German organisation encourages young and old, able bodied and disabled players to play in mixed competitions. The only categories it observes is male and female competitions.
Grosny also operates the Playbus - a 'toy library on wheels' - which travels around Germany promoting Novuss and other ‘actual’ games. ‘Real games like Novuss get kids away from their computer screens and out into the community where they can engage in actual communication. Whenever we bring Novuss tables to the kids they tend to lose interest in their computer games.’
Computer game enthusiasts might argue that playing online games stimulate the brain and while this may be true it does little for the body. Competitive table games like Novuss does both.
Fifteen year old Estonian Tesi-Liis Vaik has been playing Novuss, or Koroona as it is called in Estonia, since she was a small child. She was drawn to the game because it gives her the opportunity to exercise her body and grey matter without working up too much of a sweat. ‘I don’t have to run but I do have to be physically active.’ Tesi-Liis explains, ‘You need a certain amount of physical stamina to play and you really have to think, not only about your next move, but the one after that and the one after that. It’s a real mental challenge.’
She is also a fan of the simplicity of Novuss. As each match is made up of only four to six games the event is not something that can drag on way long after everyone has lost interest. Each game is likely to go fairly quickly too, unless someone pockets all eight pucks on their first go, in which case the game has to start again.
But aside from the mental and physical exercise the competitions have another advantage. The Baltics States are countries where most people live in rural areas so competitions gives young and old alike an opportunity to meet like-minded people. ‘I don’t come to competitions only to play,’ says Tesi-Liis, ‘I also get so see friends who I wouldn't normally see. I have friends at these events who live about 300 km from me in Estonia.’
Fifteen year old Estonian Tesi-Liis Vaik has been playing Novuss, or Koroona as it is called in Estonia, since she was a small child. She was drawn to the game because it gives her the opportunity to exercise her body and grey matter without working up too much of a sweat. ‘I don’t have to run but I do have to be physically active.’ Tesi-Liis explains, ‘You need a certain amount of physical stamina to play and you really have to think, not only about your next move, but the one after that and the one after that. It’s a real mental challenge.’
She is also a fan of the simplicity of Novuss. As each match is made up of only four to six games the event is not something that can drag on way long after everyone has lost interest. Each game is likely to go fairly quickly too, unless someone pockets all eight pucks on their first go, in which case the game has to start again.
But aside from the mental and physical exercise the competitions have another advantage. The Baltics States are countries where most people live in rural areas so competitions gives young and old alike an opportunity to meet like-minded people. ‘I don’t come to competitions only to play,’ says Tesi-Liis, ‘I also get so see friends who I wouldn't normally see. I have friends at these events who live about 300 km from me in Estonia.’
So, if you ever happen to be in a pub or bar in the Baltics or anywhere in Europe for that matter and you chance upon a Novuss table, why not pick up a cue and give it a go. You might end up discovering a new passion or even a world-class skill.
Upcoming events:
28th February to 1st March 2015 International Ratings Tournament, stage II of the World Cup, Los Angeles, USA.
For more details please see the FINSO website:
http://www.novussport.org/novuss-competition-calendar-finso-2015.html
Or the website for Novuss USA:
http://www.novussusa.com/