Klask: Denmark’s Award-Winning Magnetic Table Game

Introduction

Klask is a fast, furious, and wildly entertaining magnetic table game that plays like a mash-up of air hockey, foosball, and sheer chaos. Invented in 2014 by Danish carpenter Mikkel Bertelsen, who handcrafted the first prototypes in his small workshop, Klask has exploded from a Scandinavian curiosity into a global phenomenon with its own World Championship.

The game’s name comes from the satisfying sound a striker makes when it drops into a goal hole — “klask!” That sound will haunt your nightmares once you discover just how easy it is to accidentally dump your own striker into your own goal. It happens to everyone, from absolute beginners to seasoned tournament players, and it is precisely this blend of skill and slapstick that makes Klask irresistible.

Since its release, Klask has won multiple Toy of the Year awards across Denmark, Norway, Germany, France, and other European countries. It has also been nominated for and won several international game awards, cementing its reputation as one of the best dexterity games ever made. The game is now sold in over 40 countries and has a thriving competitive scene with national and international tournaments.

Equipment

Everything you need comes in the Klask box. The game consists of:

• The board — A wooden playing field, roughly the size of a small laptop, with a raised rim around the edges and two goal holes, one at each end. The board is slightly concave to keep the ball in play. A centre line divides the board into two halves.
• Two magnetic strikers — Each striker is a small, round piece that sits on top of the board. Underneath the board, a larger magnet connects to the striker through the wood. You move your striker by sliding the magnet under the board with your hand. This “control from below” mechanism is what gives Klask its unique feel.
• One ball — A small, hard plastic ball (usually bright yellow or orange). This is the object you hit with your striker to score goals. It is not magnetic.
• Three white magnetic biscuits — These small, flat, white pieces are placed on the centre line at the start of each point. Because they are magnetic, they are attracted to the strikers. If two or more biscuits stick to your striker, you lose a point. They add a delightful layer of unpredictability to every rally.

The entire set-up is compact enough to fit on a kitchen table, a desk, or even a bar counter. No batteries, no power supply, no app required — just pure analogue fun.

Setup

Getting a game of Klask ready takes about 30 seconds:

1. Place the board on a stable, flat surface. Each player sits or stands at one end of the board, behind their goal hole.
2. Position the strikers. Each player places their striker on the board directly over their goal hole, then attaches the control magnet to the underside of the board beneath the striker. Give it a wiggle to make sure the connection is solid.
3. Place the three white biscuits evenly along the centre line. They should be spread out so they are not clumped together at the start.
4. Put the ball at the centre of the board, between the biscuits.
5. Decide who goes first by any agreed method — coin flip, youngest player, or the loser of the previous game.

That is it. You are ready to play.

How to Play

1. Control your striker from underneath Each player holds the large magnet under the board with one hand and slides it around to move the striker on top. Your striker is your paddle, your weapon, your defence — and sometimes your worst enemy. Beginners often grip the magnet too tightly or move too fast, which can cause the striker to detach and fly across the board. Find a balance between speed and control.
2. Hit the ball into your opponent’s goal Use your striker to knock the ball across the board and into the goal hole at the far end. You can hit the ball directly, bank it off the side walls, or use deflections. The ball is not magnetic, so it behaves predictably — unlike almost everything else in this game.
3. Avoid the five fouls While trying to score, you must also avoid committing any of the five ways to give your opponent a free point (detailed in the section below). Staying aware of where the biscuits are, keeping your striker out of your own goal, and respecting the centre line are all critical.
4. Reset after each point After a point is scored by any method, return the ball to the centre, replace the biscuits on the centre line, and reposition your strikers. The player who was scored on typically gets to start the next rally.
5. First to 6 points wins The game ends as soon as one player reaches 6 points. There is no requirement to win by two. A full game usually takes between 5 and 10 minutes, making it perfect for best-of-three or best-of-five sessions.

Five Ways to Score a Point

This is where Klask gets interesting. There are five distinct ways to score a point, and only one of them involves actually putting the ball in the goal. The other four are essentially fouls your opponent commits, each awarding you a free point:

1. Goal: The ball goes into your opponent’s goal hole. This is the most straightforward way to score and the one you are actively trying to achieve on every rally.
2. Klask: Your opponent’s striker falls into their own goal hole. This is called a “Klask” and it happens far more often than you would expect. Aggressive movements, panic defending, and the sheer slipperiness of the magnetic connection all conspire to send strikers tumbling into their own goals. Experienced players often score more points from their opponent’s Klasks than from actual goals.
3. Two biscuits: Two or more of the three white magnetic biscuits attach to your opponent’s striker at the same time. Since both the biscuits and the strikers are magnetic, biscuits will drift toward the striker during play. Having one biscuit stuck is fine (annoying, but legal). The moment a second one latches on, your opponent scores. Players must constantly manoeuvre to shake off approaching biscuits.
4. Illegal touch: Your opponent touches the ball with anything other than their striker — their hand, the control magnet, or any other body part or object. This includes reaching over the board to retrieve a stray biscuit.
5. Crossing the centre line: Your opponent’s striker crosses entirely into your half of the board. This prevents players from charging across the board for an easy slam. You must keep your striker on your own side at all times.

These five rules create a beautifully tense dynamic. You are not just trying to score goals — you are also trying to avoid a cascade of self-inflicted disasters while hoping your opponent stumbles into one.

The White Biscuits

The three white magnetic biscuits are the secret ingredient that elevates Klask from a simple dexterity game into something wonderfully chaotic. They sit on the centre line at the start of each point, looking innocent enough. But the moment the ball starts flying and strikers start moving, the biscuits come alive.

Because the biscuits are magnetic, they are attracted to your striker. As you move around the board, biscuits will drift toward you, sometimes clinging to your striker at the worst possible moment. Having one biscuit stuck to your striker is inconvenient — it changes the weight and handling of your piece — but it is not a penalty. The rule only triggers when two or more biscuits are attached simultaneously.

This creates a fascinating mini-game within the game. You need to be aware of where the biscuits are at all times. If one is stuck to your striker, you must stay far from the remaining two. Some players deliberately try to knock biscuits toward their opponent’s striker to force a foul. Others use quick, jerky movements to shake off an attached biscuit before a second one arrives.

The biscuits also interfere with the ball. They sit on the playing surface and can deflect shots in unexpected directions, block goal attempts, or create accidental assists. This randomness is a feature, not a bug — it ensures that no two games of Klask ever play out the same way.

Strategy Tips

Tournament Play & the Klask World Championship

What began as a homemade Danish board game has grown into a legitimate competitive sport. The Klask World Championship has been held annually since 2016, attracting hundreds of players from dozens of countries. The tournament is typically held in Denmark but has also travelled to other European cities.

Competitive Klask follows the same rules as casual play — first to 6 points wins a game, with matches typically played as best-of-three or best-of-five. Tournament games are refereed, and disputes about biscuit fouls or centre-line violations are settled by the official on the spot.

The competitive scene has revealed just how much depth Klask has beneath its simple surface. Top players display remarkable striker control, ball placement accuracy, and biscuit management. They can execute bank shots with precision, shake off biscuits mid-rally without losing position, and apply psychological pressure by forcing opponents into the “danger zone” near their own goal.

National championships are now held in countries including Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, and Japan. Many board game cafes and bars also host local Klask leagues and casual tournaments, making it easy to find competitive play in most major cities.

Why Klask Is So Addictive

There is something almost primal about Klask. The game triggers every competitive instinct you have and then punishes you for acting on them too aggressively. You lunge for a goal and your striker drops into the hole. You try to smash the ball and two biscuits latch onto your piece. You play it safe and your opponent calmly slots the ball past your static defence.

Several qualities make Klask uniquely compelling:

• Instant accessibility. Anyone can play Klask within seconds of seeing it. There are no complex rules to memorise, no long setup, no turns to wait through. You pick up the magnet and you are playing.
• Physical engagement. In an age of screens, Klask is refreshingly tactile. The wooden board, the satisfying clack of the ball, the magnetic pull of the biscuits — every element feels deliberate and well-crafted.
• Perfect game length. At 5–10 minutes per game, Klask hits the sweet spot where you always want “just one more.” Wins feel earned. Losses feel close. The rematch button is irresistible.
• Spectator appeal. Klask is genuinely fun to watch. The dramatic Klasks, the biscuit panic, the impossible bank-shot goals — every game produces moments worth shouting about. This is a large part of why it works so well at tournaments, bars, and family gatherings.
• The rubber-band effect. Because so many points come from fouls rather than goals, comebacks are common. A player who is down 1–5 can claw back to 6–5 if their opponent starts panicking. No lead is ever truly safe.

Klask vs Air Hockey vs Foosball

Klask occupies a unique niche. It offers the head-to-head intensity of air hockey and the physical engagement of foosball, but in a compact, affordable, unplugged package. The magnetic control system gives it a feel unlike any other game — somewhere between graceful and barely-controlled chaos — while the multiple scoring rules create far more drama per minute than either of its larger cousins.

Klask 4: The Four-Player Variant

Released in 2019, Klask 4 takes the core formula and scales it up to four players. The board is round instead of rectangular, with four goal holes evenly spaced around the edge. Each player defends their own goal while trying to score in any of the other three.

All the standard rules apply — goals, Klasks, biscuit fouls, and the centre-line restriction (adapted to a circular zone in the middle). The key difference is the social dynamic. With four players, alliances form and dissolve in seconds. Two players might gang up on a leader, only to turn on each other the next point. The biscuits become even more dangerous because there are more strikers creating magnetic fields, pulling the biscuits in multiple directions at once.

Klask 4 is louder, more chaotic, and more social than the original. It is not a replacement for the two-player game — it is a complementary experience that shines at parties and family gatherings. If you already love standard Klask and frequently have four people around the table, Klask 4 is an excellent addition to your collection.

Frequently Asked Questions