Sports guide · updated 10 November 2026

Kho-kho rules for beginners

Kho-kho is India’s great game of chase: speed, sudden turns and teamwork. Here is how chasers, runners, the central lane and the famous “kho” work.

On the field9 players per team

Match2 innings

Each inningsOne chasing and one defending turn

Turn length9 minutes (7 in the fast format)

Key word“Kho!” to pass the chase

OriginIndia

How a match works

Each team has nine players on the field. One team chases and the other defends (runs); then they swap.
A match has two innings. In each innings every team has one turn chasing and one turn defending. Senior matches traditionally use 9-minute turns; the newer fast format (used in the Kho-Kho World Cup) uses 7 minutes.
The team with more points at the end wins.

Eight chasers sit in a line of squares down the middle of the field (the central lane), facing alternate sides. The ninth is the active chaser.
The active chaser runs after the defenders and tags them with the hand. A tagged defender is out.
To pass the chase, the active chaser touches a sitting team-mate from behind and calls “Kho!”. That player gets up and becomes the active chaser; the old one sits in the empty square.
The active chaser must keep running in one direction and may not cross the central lane; they can change direction only by going round the pole at either end.

Defenders enter the field in small groups (usually three at a time) and dodge the chaser as long as they can.
When all of a group are out, the next group comes in.
Points are scored for every defender tagged; how many per tag depends on the format, and the fast format also rewards defenders who survive a long time.

Chasers: give quick, early khos to the sitting player nearest the runner rather than chasing alone.
Defenders: stay close to the sitting chasers who face away from you; they cannot get up until given a kho.
Practise sudden stops and turns: kho-kho is won by agility more than speed.

How many players play kho-kho?

Nine players of each team take the field: eight chasers sit in the central lane and one is the active chaser, while the other team’s defenders run.

What does “kho” mean in kho-kho?

It is the call the active chaser makes when touching a sitting team-mate from behind, passing the chase to them.

How long is a kho-kho match?

Two innings, each with one chasing and one defending turn for each team. Turns are traditionally 9 minutes; the newer fast format uses 7 minutes.

Can the chaser change direction in kho-kho?

Only by going round the pole at either end of the central lane. The active chaser cannot turn back or cross the lane in between.

Where did kho-kho come from?

Kho-kho is a traditional Indian game, played in schools across the country and now in national leagues and an international World Cup.

Scoring, three touches, rotation and the libero, explained simply.

Read the guide

Ludo, Snakes & Ladders and quick games like Tic-Tac-Toe, free in your browser.