Squash

Overview

Two players alternately hit a small rubber ball against the front wall of an enclosed court. Governed by World Squash. This entry is checked against the World Squash Singles Rules 2025, V1.2, effective 1 September 2025. Rule numbers below are World Squash's.

1. The court

The front wall carries an out line at the top, a service line across the middle, and the tin along the bottom. A ball hitting the tin is out. On the floor, a short line and a half-court line divide the back of the court into two quarter-courts, each with a service box.

The court's measurements aren't in the playing rules. World Squash publishes them in a separate court specification, which hasn't been checked for this page.

2. Scoring

Rule 2: the winner of every rally scores a point and serves next. Games go to 11; at 10–all play continues until someone leads by two. A match is normally best of five games, but may be best of three.

Older scoring systems, such as English scoring to 9 with points only on serve, aren't part of the World Squash rules. If you play one socially, agree it before you start.

3. Serving

The winner of the spin of a racket serves first, choosing either box. A good serve (Rule 5.7):

• the server drops or throws the ball and strikes it correctly on a first or further attempt before it touches anything else, so a swing and a miss doesn't lose the serve;
• one foot is on the floor inside the service box, with no part of that foot touching the line;
• the ball goes directly to the front wall, between the service line and the out line, without hitting the front and side walls at the same time;
• unless the receiver volleys it, it lands in the opposite quarter-court without touching any line.

A serve that hits a line is a fault, whether it's the service line, the short line or the half-court line, and a fault loses the rally. The server alternates boxes while keeping the serve, and serves again from the same box after a let.

4. Play

After the serve, players alternate hitting the ball. Each shot must reach the front wall before bouncing on the floor, below the out line and above the tin.

The ball may touch side and back walls on the way. It may bounce once on the floor before you return it, or you may volley it.

5. Lets and strokes — the heart of the game

Because both players occupy the same space, interference is constant. The rules handle it through three outcomes:

Call	Meaning	Result
No let	Interference was minimal, or the player could not have made the shot	Point stands
Let	Genuine interference, but the opponent was making an effort to clear	Rally replayed
Stroke	The opponent did not clear, or would have been struck by a winning shot	Point awarded

A player who has struck the ball must give the opponent fair access to it, and the freedom to hit the front wall directly.

Judging let versus stroke decides more matches than shot quality does, and is the single hardest thing about refereeing squash.

6. Safety

Stopping because of reasonable fear of injury is grounds for a let (Rule 8.6). The rules don't penalise a player for holding back a swing that might hit the opponent. What they penalise is dangerous play, including an excessive racket swing: under Rule 14 the referee can give a conduct warning, conduct stroke, conduct game or conduct match, depending on how serious it is.

Eyewear (Appendix 4): World Squash recommends protective eyewear for all players at all times, and it is mandatory for all WSF-sanctioned doubles and junior events.

Commonly argued

• The tin is out. Hitting below it loses the rally.
• Point-a-rally to 11 is the rule. English scoring to 9 isn't in the World Squash rules.
• A serve touching any line is a fault, including the service line.
• The server's foot mustn't touch the service box line.
• You can miss the ball on the serve and try again, provided it hasn't touched anything.
• You must clear after your shot, giving direct access to the front wall.
• A stroke is awarded when you fail to clear, not merely when contact occurs.
• Stopping for fear of injury earns a let, not a penalty. Dangerous swinging is what gets punished.