If you live outside the UK, you may not have heard of "conkers" but the game becomes a big deal every fall in Britain – so much so, that around 2,000 people turned out for the World Championships on Sunday.

The competition was put on hold during the pandemic but reigning champion Jasmine Tetley showed she had lost none of her edge as she smashed her way to retain the title she won in 2019.

So, what is it? 

In a nutshell… two players each have a use horse chestnut (conker) attached to a "lace" via a hole drilled through the middle and they take turns to hit the other nut. The aim is to smash the opponent's conker before they smash yours.

Here are the official World championship rules:

1. All conkers and laces are supplied by Ashton Conker Club with a new conker for each round. Laces must not be tampered with in any way.

2. The game will commence with a toss of a coin. The winner of the toss may elect to strike or receive.

3. A distance of no less than 20 cm of lace must be between knuckle and nut.

4. In turn, each player takes three strikes at the opponent's conker.

5. Each attempted strike must be clearly aimed at the nut, with no deliberate misses.

6. The game will be decided once one of the conkers is smashed. If any conker remains on the lace, it will be judged play-worthy or not, by the stewards.

7. If both nuts smash at the same time then the match shall be replayed.

8. Any nut being knocked from the lace but not smashing may be rethreaded and the game continued.

9. A player causing a knotting of the laces (a snag) will be noted. Three snags will lead to disqualification.

10. If a game lasts for more than five minutes then the "five-minute rule" will be applied. Each player will take up to nine further strikes at their opponent's nut, alternating with three strikes each. If neither conker has been smashed at the end of the nine strikes, then the player who strikes the nut the most times during this period will be judged the winner.

History

Organized by Ashton Conker Club in Northamptonshire, England, the World Conker Championships have been going since 1965 but the game is much older. 

According to historians, horse chestnuts were first recorded as being used for the game of conkers on the Isle of Wight in 1848 and after the 1850s, their use to play the game was referred to in various regions of the country. Prior to the use of horse chestnuts, there are reports from the early 1800s of a similar game that had been played using snail shells and hazelnuts. 

Conkers was a playground staple for decades but has been phased out in recent years over health and safety fears. 

While it is a quintessentially British game, the event's organizers say it has a history of attracting competitors from across the globe, with the first overseas winner being a Mexican, in 1976.