Novuss
Encyclopedia
Novuss is a game of physical skill which is closely related to pocket billiards
, but on a smaller scale. It is essentially a larger, cued derivative of the boardgame carrom
. Novuss is a national sport
in Latvia
. The board is approximately 40 in. (100 cm) square, made out of wood, has 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 used in other cue sports. Players use a cue stick
to propel their pucks into their colored object discs (the novuss equivalent of ), 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).
According to Jānis-Ēriks Piebalgs, President of Latvian Novuss Federation, 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
, Liepāja
, 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.
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.
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.
The game is further establishing itself in the United States, Canada, Israel, Georgia, Ukraine, Australia, England, Russia, Finland and Germany.
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.
Novuss was integrated into the roster of the first Baltic Children's Olympics on 30 September 2006.
Pocket billiards
Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
, but on a smaller scale. It is essentially a larger, cued derivative of the boardgame carrom
Carrom
Carrom is a family of tabletop games with gameplay that lies somewhere between billiards and table shuffleboard. Carrom is known by many names around the world, including carrum, couronne, carum, karam, karom, karum, fatta and finger billiards...
. Novuss is a national sport
National sport
A national sport or national pastime is a sport or game that is considered to be an intrinsic part of the culture of a nation. Some sports are de facto national sports, as baseball is in the U.S., while others are de jure as lacrosse and ice hockey are in Canada.-De jure national sports:-De facto...
in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
. The board is approximately 40 in. (100 cm) square, made out of wood, has 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
Hockey puck
A puck is a disk used in various games serving the same functions as a ball does in ball games. The best-known use of pucks is in ice hockey, a major international sport.- Etymology :The origin of the word "puck" is obscure...
instead of the used in other cue sports. Players use a cue stick
Cue stick
A cue stick , is an item of sporting equipment essential to the games of pool, snooker and carom billiards. It is used to strike a ball, usually the...
to propel their pucks into their colored object discs (the novuss equivalent of ), 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
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
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
Ventspils
Ventspils is a city in northwestern Latvia in the Courland historical region of Latvia, the sixth largest city in the country. As of 2006, Ventspils had a population of 43,806. Ventspils is situated on the Venta River and the Baltic Sea, and has an ice-free port...
, Liepāja
Liepaja
Liepāja ; ), is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port...
, and Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
. 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
1932 in sports
-Alpine skiing:FIS Alpine World Ski Championships2nd FIS Alpine World Ski Championships are held at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The events are a downhill, a slalom and a combined race in both the men's and women's categories...
, in which Albert Raminsch won 1st place.
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.
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.
The game is further establishing itself in the United States, Canada, Israel, Georgia, Ukraine, Australia, England, Russia, Finland and Germany.
The International Novuss Championship has been held annually, beginning in 1993
1993 in sports
1993 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg** Women's overall season champion: Anita Wachter, Austria-American football:...
, with teams from countries where Novuss has a large following, especially Latvia and Estonia.