Squash scoring system

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There are a few ways for the scores in a game of squash to be tabulated, differing based on the decision of the organising body. Here are the two most common scoring systems in the sport.

Point-a-Rally System (PARS)

Also known as PARS, the American Scoring System is the international standard when it comes to competitions and sporting events. Under PARS, the player who wins the rally will definitely receive a point, regardless of whether the player is a server or receiver. Additionally, the game ends when a player reaches 11 points, but the winner has to have at least a two-point advantage over his opponent. For instance, if the game is tied at 10-10, the game will have to continue until one player has two points more than the other. However, some games can be played up to 15 points, depending on the organising body.

If the server wins the rally and gets awarded the point, this player will continue acting as the server in the next round. However, if it is the receiver that gets the point and win the round, this player will be the server in the next round.

Most games under the PARS system is played until a winner is decided from the rounds played. There are no fixed number of rounds, but most games are commonly played until the winner is derived from the best of three or five rounds.

English Scoring

This form of scoring is also known as the hand out scoring system, and used to be the most prevalent scoring system before the World Squash Federation changed the official system to PARS in 2008.

Under the English scoring system, only the server will receive a point. This means that if the receiving player wins a rally, he does not get awarded a point and the scoreboard does not change. However, this player will become the server next.

The English scoring system is usually played up to nine points, compared to the 11 points in PARS. However, unlike PARS, when the game score is at 8-8 points, the first player that reaches eight points gets to decide how many points the round should be played to. For instance, if the player wants the winning score to be nine, this is known as a Set One. If the player decides that the winning score should be 10, it is known as a Set Two.

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