Table tennis is one of the most played sports on the planet, from garage tables and school PE halls to league nights run by Table Tennis England or USA Table Tennis clubs. The rules fit on a few pages, but a handful of details cause most arguments: who serves when, how high the toss must be, what counts as a let and how doubles rotate. This guide follows the Laws of Table Tennis as reproduced from the 2026 ITTF Statutes (Laws 2.1 to 2.15), adds the most useful ITTF match regulations, and includes worked examples you can check on our online scoreboard.
Table, net, ball and racket
| Item | Law (ITTF 2026) |
|---|---|
| Table | 2.74 m × 1.525 m (9 ft × 5 ft), playing surface 76 cm (30 in) above the floor |
| Bounce | about 23 cm when a ball is dropped from 30 cm |
| Lines | 2 cm white side and end lines; 3 mm centre line for doubles |
| Net | 15.25 cm (6 in) high along its whole length, posts 15.25 cm outside the side lines |
| Ball | 40 mm diameter, 2.7 g, white or orange, matt |
| Racket | any size and shape; blade at least 85% natural wood by thickness; one side black, the other a bright colour distinct from black and the ball |
The centre line counts as part of each right half-court in doubles. In competitions, rubbers and balls must be ITTF-authorised brands.
Scoring: games to 11 and matches
A game is won by the first player or pair to 11 points, unless both reach 10. From 10-10 (deuce) the game goes to the first side to lead by two points: 12-10, 13-11, 17-15. There is no cap.
A match is the best of any odd number of games. In practice:
- Best of five (first to three games) for most leagues, team events and earlier rounds.
- Best of seven (first to four games) for major singles events such as World Championships and the Olympic singles.
- Best of three is common in social play and junior round robins.
Every rally scores a point, whoever served. A point is won when the opponent fails to make a correct serve or return, hits the ball twice deliberately, touches the net assembly or moves the table, touches the playing surface with their free hand, or volleys a ball that is over the table (obstruction).
Serving rules
The serve is where most faults happen. Law 2.6 requires that:
- The ball rests freely on the open, stationary palm of the free hand.
- The server projects it near vertically upwards, without spin, so that it rises at least 16 cm after leaving the palm, and strikes it as it falls.
- The ball bounces first on the server’s court and then directly on the receiver’s court. In doubles it goes right half-court to right half-court, diagonally.
- From the start of the serve until it is struck, the ball stays above the playing surface and behind the server’s end line.
- The ball must not be hidden from the receiver by the server, their partner or their clothing, and the free arm must be removed from the space between the ball and the net as soon as the ball is thrown.
If the umpire is unsure about a serve, they may warn the player once per match; after that, any doubtful serve by that player or their partner is a fault. Umpires may relax the requirements for players with a physical disability.
Service order
- Serve changes after every two points: A serves points 1-2, B serves 3-4 and so on.
- From 10-10, each player serves one point in turn.
- The player who served first in a game receives first in the next game.
- Players change ends after each game, and in the last possible game (game 5 of 5, game 7 of 7) they change ends when one side first reaches 5 points.
Lets: when the rally is replayed
A let means the rally is not scored. Under Law 2.9 it is a let when:
- The serve touches the net assembly but is otherwise correct, or is obstructed by the receiver or their partner.
- The serve is delivered before the receiver is ready, provided they do not try to hit it.
- A disturbance outside the player’s control (a ball from the next table, a loud noise) causes a failure.
- The umpire interrupts play, for example to correct the order of serving or ends, to introduce the expedite system, or to warn a player.
There is no limit on net-cord lets during serve. A ball that clips the net during a rally is simply in play.
Doubles rules
In doubles, partners must hit the ball alternately: server, receiver, server’s partner, receiver’s partner, and so on. Hitting out of turn loses the point.
The rotation for pairs A1/A2 against B1/B2 looks like this:
| Points | Server → Receiver |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | A1 → B1 |
| 3-4 | B1 → A2 |
| 5-6 | A2 → B2 |
| 7-8 | B2 → A1 |
| 9-10 | A1 → B1 again |
At each change of service the previous receiver becomes the server and the previous server’s partner becomes the receiver. In the next game the pair that received first now serves first; they choose which player serves, and the first receiver is the player who served to that server in the previous game. In the last possible game, the receiving pair changes its receiving order when one pair reaches 5 points.
The expedite system
To stop endless defensive rallies, Law 2.15 introduces the expedite system:
- It starts after 10 minutes of play in a game, or earlier if both sides request it.
- It is not introduced if at least 18 points have been scored in that game (for example 9-9 or 11-7 in progress).
- From then on, players serve one point each in turn, and if the receiver makes 13 correct returns in a rally, the receiver wins the point.
- Once started, it stays in force for the rest of the match.
Worked examples and match etiquette
Deuce game. Score 10-10. A serves one point and wins (11-10), B serves and wins (11-11), A serves and wins (12-11), B serves and A wins again (13-11). Game to A, 13-11: 24 points in total, a two-point margin.
Serve count. In a game that ends 11-6, 17 points were played. With two serves each, the first server served points 1-2, 5-6, 9-10, 13-14 and 17, which is 9 serves; the opponent served 8.
Expedite threshold. The 10-minute mark arrives at 8-9 (17 points): the expedite system starts. If the score had been 9-9 (18 points), it would not.
Under the ITTF Regulations for International Competitions, players get up to one minute between games, may use a towel after every 6 points and at the change of ends in the last game, and each side may call one time-out of up to one minute per match. For club nights and school PE you can track points and games on our free scoreboard; for a knockout or a league night, use the tournament bracket generator or the league schedule generator.
Sources: Laws of Table Tennis (Laws 2.1-2.15) reproduced from the 2026 ITTF Statutes, as published by Table Tennis England in July 2026; ITTF Regulations for International Competitions (2026 Handbook). National associations such as Table Tennis England and USA Table Tennis apply these Laws and add their own league byelaws.