Novuss

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File:Novuss koroona.jpg
A modern novuss table

Novuss is a game of physical skill which is closely related to pocket billiards, but on a smaller scale. It may also be related to the boardgame carrom. Novuss is a national sport in Latvia. The board is approximately 40 in. (100 cm) square, made out of wood, has pockets in each corner, and lines drawn on the surface. The board is usually placed on a stand, but may be placed on a barrel or other surface that allows the pockets to hang down properly. It uses small discs instead of balls, and each player has their own small puck instead of the cue ball used in other cue sports. Players use a cue stick to propel their pucks into their colored object discs (the novuss equivalent of object balls), knocking them into the pockets. The winner is the first one to sink all eight of their object discs (of which there are sixteen in total, plus the two pucks).

History

80-year-old novuss from the Latvian Novuss Federation

It is known[citation needed] that the game was first played in Northern Europe, particularly Latvia and Estonia around 1925-1927. Seamen, while visiting ports of England, played a similar game in the local pubs. The first tables were made from blueprints brought back from England. At the beginning novuss was played in the port cities Ventspils, Liepaja, and Tallinn. In some countries, novuss is also known by Estonian name koroona. The oldest record of the rules of the game dates to 1932. In Latvia, the game spread even more quickly than in Estonia, and soon emerged as a national sport. The first professional competitions took place in 1932, in which Albert Raminsch won 1st place.[citation needed]

The Latvian Novuss Federation was founded on 6 December 1963. National Championships have been held since 1964 in singles and since 1966 in team competitions. Men's, women's and junior's (up to 15 years old) divisions have been established..[citation needed]

In 1980, the Novuss community contained around 55,000 members. In the meantime, district, city, national and world championships are regularly organized. Novuss became one of the three most popular sports in Latvia.[citation needed]

The game is further establishing itself in the United States, Canada, Israel, Georgia, Ukraine, Australia, England, Russia, Finland and Germany.[citation needed]

The International Novuss Championship has been held annually, beginning in 1993, with teams from countries where Novuss has a large following, especially Latvia and Estonia.[citation needed]

Novuss players at the Baltic Children's Olympics, 2006

Novuss was integrated into the roster of the first Baltic Children's Olympics on 30 September 2006.

External links

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