Background

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) establishes the internationally recognized Laws of Table Tennis. The following is a brief summary of the Rules most commonly needed during club play.

This is intended as a quick reference only. The official ITTF Laws take precedence where additional detail or clarification is required.  For convenience, we've arbitrarily divided the 'Laws' into 'Rules' (the main rules which govern play), summarized below, and 'Regulations' (the main specifications which govern equipment and play area; see 'Table Tennis - Regulations'.

Match & Scoring

• A match consists of the best of an odd number of games, commonly Best of 3 or Best of 5.
• A game is won by the first player or pair to reach 11 points with at least a 2-point lead.
• At 10-10, play continues until one player or pair leads by 2 points.
• Every rally results in a point unless a let is called.

Service

• Service begins with the ball resting freely on the stationary, open palm of the server's free hand.
• The ball must be tossed vertically upward (within 30 degrees of vertical) at least 16 cm (6.3 in.), without imparting spin, and struck as it falls.
• The ball must remain above the playing surface, behind the server's end line and visible to the receiver (unobstructed at all times during the serve) until struck.
• The serve must bounce first on the server's court and then on the receiver's court.
• In doubles, the serve must travel diagonally from the server's right half-court to the receiver's right half-court.
• Service changes every 2 points. At 10-10, service changes after every point.

Net Ball / Let

• If an otherwise legal serve touches the net and then lands correctly, a let is called and the serve is replayed with no point scored.
• A let may also be called if the receiver was not ready and made no attempt to return the serve, or if play is disrupted by circumstances outside the players' control (e.g. a ball or player from an adjacent table entering the playing area).

During a Rally

• After the serve, players alternately return the ball so that it lands on the opponent's court, either directly or after touching the net.
• A ball contacting the top edge of the table is good; contact only with the vertical side of the tabletop is not.

A Player Loses the Point If They:

• Fail to make a legal serve or return.
• Allow the ball to bounce twice on their court.
• Obstruct the ball before it has bounced on their court.
• Deliberately or involuntarily strike the ball twice in succession.
• Touch the playing surface with their free hand.
• Move the table with their body, clothing or equipment.
• Touch the net assembly with their body, clothing or equipment.
• In doubles, strike the ball out of the required playing sequence.

Doubles

• Players must alternate shots: Server → Receiver → Server's Partner → Receiver's Partner, repeating in that order.
• When service changes, the previous receiver becomes the server and the partner of the previous server becomes the receiver.

Changing Ends

• Players or pairs change ends after each game.
• In the deciding game of a match, players change ends when the first player or pair reaches 5 points.

Quick reference based on the ITTF Laws of Table Tennis, 2026.