Beloved by schoolchildren for decades, the once-popular playground game of conkers has seemingly fallen from favour recently. This has been blamed on health-and-safety rules, but this is largely a myth.
No one really knows why modern kids are less interested in playing conkers, but plenty of adults remain extremely enthusiastic about the traditional pursuit. Every autumn, gladiatorial conker contests take place, and there’s even an annual World Conker Championships, held in Northamptonshire.
Where are conkers from?
Native to the Balkans, horse chestnut trees were introduced to Britain in the late 16th century. Encased in a spiky pod, the tree’s nuts are distinctive and attractive.
The Victorians invented a recipe for conker flour that leached out some of the bitterness, but the nuts taste bad and are poisonous to people, so don’t try this at home. Many animals can safely scoff them though, including deer, cattle and horses (hence the name). It was once believed that feeding conkers to equines would make their coats as shiny as the nuts. According to an old wives’ tale, conkers placed around the house ward away spiders, and during the First World War there was an attempt to use them as a source of starch and acetone, required for making cordite (an explosive).
But, as any big kid will tell you, by far the best use for conkers is to thread them onto a piece of string and smash them together until one explodes. A conker-like game was first referenced in 1821, when the Poet Laureate Robert Southey described contests played with snail shells and hazelnuts, but it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that the horse chestnut became the weapon of choice in such battles.
Where is the name from?
The origin of the name is oblique. It possibly derives from conquer, or the French word conque (conch shell), from when the game was played with seashells. Others have postulated it’s onomatopoeic, evoking the sound of the nuts colliding. Regional variations include ‘cheggers’ (Lancaster), ‘cobblers’ (used in DH Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers) and ‘obblyonkers’.
How did the Conker Championships become a sport?
Initiated by a group of frustrated anglers, who’d been put off their fishing expedition by bad weather and were seeking an alternative sport, the Conker Championships began in 1965 at the Chequered Skipper pub in the village of Ashton, Northamptonshire. In 2013, the growing event relocated to the larger-capacity Shuckburgh Arms in Southwick, near Peterborough. Held on the second Sunday of October, the competition attracts thousands of spectators, who watch hundreds of warriors from the world over vying for the coveted titles of Conker King and Conker Queen.
Players from Mexico, Germany and France have been crowned as world champions, and the event has survived natural challenges (including droughts, disease, high winds and late frosts damaging the harvest) and controversy. In 2024, after accusations of cheating were levelled, men’s champion David Jakins was found with a painted steel conker in his pocket (he was subsequently cleared of wrongdoing). To date, the championships have raised £420,000 for charity.
What are the rules?
There are many tips and tricks for toughening up prized conkers, from soaking them in vinegar to baking them in the oven. At the world championships, however, it’s all about technique and skill, and competitors must use untampered-with conkers (and laces) supplied by organisers.
Battles begin with a coin toss, after which the person who correctly calls it chooses whether to strike first or second. A minimum of 20cm of lace must always be kept between knuckles and conker.
In contrast to traditional playground rules, ‘stamps’ (when a player can stamp on their opponent’s conker if it’s knocked to the ground) are not permitted. If a conker falls from the lace, but remains intact, it can be rethreaded. And if both conkers simultaneously smash, new nuts are drawn and battle recommences.
Top image: a contestant plays a skeleton mask in the rounds at the World Championships on October 12, 2025 in Southwick, Northamptonshire. Credit: Getty
