Table Tennis Scoring – What You Need to Know (+Alternatives)

There are always misunderstandings and disagreements about the scoring method in table tennis. To save you from that, this post quickly explains the official scoring method. You’ll also find instructions on how to correctly play to 21 and more. But first things first:

• The first player to have 11 points wins a set (at the score of 10:10, the game is played until one player is 2 points ahead)
• Whoever wins 3 or 4 sets first, wins the match (depending on the competition)

Do you want to know more? No problem! In the following, I will explain the scoring in table tennis in more detail. Here’s another overview for you, in case you’re looking for something specific:

1. Official Scoring Method: Playing to 11
2. Old Scoring Method: The game to 21
3. Why Did the Scoring Method Change?
4. Useful Tools – So nobody forgets the score
5. Still got questions? FAQ about scoring in table tennis

Official Scoring Method: Playing to 11

Since the beginning of the 2000s, sets in table tennis are no longer played to 21, but to 11. But more about that later. First, the basics:

In table tennis, there are two units of scoring: Points and Sets. The points decide the set and the sets then decide the match. So how is it counted:

How To Win a Set

• The player who first has 11 points wins the set.
• Important: A set can only be won with a 2 point lead. Therefore, if the score is 10:10, it goes to 12, so a set cannot be won by 11:10. Theoretically, a set could also end with 29:27 or 35:33.

How often does the serve change?

The serve changes every 2 points, so that each player serves two times in a row. Tip: The serve always changes at even scores. If you don’t know who is serving, this is always a good orientation.

The only exception is at the score of 10:10. From this score on, the serve changes after each point, so that a player cannot win the set with two serves in a row.

How to Win the Match

Depending on the competition, the player who first wins 3 or 4 sets wins the match. Here, one also speaks of “Best of Five” or “Best of Seven”. Each competition can decide this for itself.

In most cases, individual competitions (each player competes for himself) are played to 4 and team competitions to 3 winning sets.

Here is an overview of the most important competitions:

Overview: winning sets per competition (individual):

Ping Pong Guide is a blog created (by me Thimo) to save you time searching for answers to your ping pong questions.