Table Tennis Director

Table tennis rules cheat sheet

Print this on one page and put it at every umpire’s table. Based on the 2026 Laws of Table Tennis; confirm the regulation items for your event.

Full rules summary

Scoring

  • Game to 11, win by 2.
  • Match: best of any odd number of games (3, 5, 7).
  • Call the server’s score first.

Serving

  • Change service every 2 points.
  • At 10–10, or under expedite: every 1 point.
  • Winner of the toss chooses serve, receive or end; the other player gets the other choice.
  • Whoever served first in a game receives first in the next.

Ends

  • Change ends after each game.
  • Deciding game: change ends when either player reaches 5.

Legal service

  • Ball starts flat on open, stationary free palm.
  • Toss near vertical, no spin, at least 16 cm.
  • Strike on the way down; ball above table level and behind the end line; visible to receiver.
  • Bounces on server’s half, then receiver’s.
  • Free arm out of the way once the ball is thrown.
  • Doubles: right half-court to right half-court (diagonal).

Let (replay)

  • Serve touches the net and is otherwise good.
  • Receiver not ready and does not try to hit it.
  • Disturbance outside the players’ control.
  • Play interrupted by umpire.

Point to the opponent if you…

  • Miss the serve or the return.
  • Touch the net or move the table.
  • Touch the table with your free hand.
  • Volley (hit the ball before it bounces on your side) or hit it twice in a row.
  • Doubles: hit out of order.

Expedite

  • After 10 minutes in a game, or if both players ask.
  • Not if 18 or more points have been scored in the game.
  • Serve alternates every point; receiver wins the rally with 13 good returns.
  • Applies to the rest of the match.

Equipment

  • Table 2.74 × 1.525 m, 76 cm high.
  • Net 15.25 cm high.
  • Ball 40 mm, 2.7 g, white or orange, matt, approved brand.
  • Racket: one side black, other a bright contrasting color. Rubber used as supplied: no treatments or boosters.
  • Show the racket to the opponent before the match.

Typical regulation defaults

  • Practice up to 2 min; rest between games up to 1 min.
  • One time-out of 1 min per player per match.
  • Advice allowed except during rallies.
  • Yellow card, then penalty points, then red card.

Tournament desk reminders

  • Match length by round is posted.
  • Walkover after the published grace period.
  • Referee decides rules questions; their decision is final for the day.