FCE 1 - TEST 2 - READING 2

Onto a winner 

Two brothers are finding that their childhood game is very good for business. 

Dave and Norm Lagasse, two bushy-bearded brothers in their forties, are sitting in their modest home in Santa Fe in New Mexico. USA, and reliving their childhood. In front of them lies a wooden board covered in round plastic pieces. They are playing the ancient game of pichenotte, one which, they insist, is unlike any other. 

Their grandfather, Lucien Rajotte, a grocer originally from Quebec, Canada, brought the game into the USA and introduced it to his family. It wasn’t long before, on just about every weekend and holiday. the family were playing the game and, as Dave says, ‘having the best time ever’. Eventually, the family moved to New Mexico. But Grandpa's pichenotte board, which he'd made out of wodden food crates, was not forgotten and they continued to play regularly. If visitors dropped by they were often fascinated, for the game was completely unknown in southern USA. 

One day, three years ago, Dave set up the ancient pichenotte board and, realising how cracked and battered it had become, decided to make a new one. This turned out to be a beauty. A relative noticed and wanted one. Then a friend wanted another. Curious as to how great the interest may be, one might the brother took one of Dave's new game boards to a sports bar in Santa Fe.‘People there started to watch, ’ says Dave, ‘and say, “No way I’m playing that silly game. " Then they'd sit down, and pretty soon you couldn’t get them up from the table! ’ 

When people started asking about the origins of the game, Dave decided to do some research. The roots, he discovered, were probably in India, where a similar game called ‘carroms’ exists. That was adapted into a game called ‘squails’ which was played in pubs in Britain and, a century ago, British people emigrating to Canada brought the game with them. Pichenotte is the name of the French-Canadian version of the game that developed in Quebec. 

Pichenotte, which can be played by two to four people, is clearly a game of skill. Each competitor gets 12 pieces or ‘pucks’. These are ‘flicked’ across a wheel-like board using the middle or index finger of one hand. Flicking a puck into a small hole is worth 20 points. Three concentric rings around the hole are worth 15, 10 and 5, respectively. Eight tiny posts present obstacles. The game usually lasts just two minutes. 

When they saw how popular the game was at the Santa Fe bar, the Lagasses made a couple more boards and took them to markets and craft fairs. Crowds gathered, money changed hands and the game’s popularity grew. So much so that championships began to take place and trophy called the "Lord Pichenotte Cup" was created. With word spreading more widely, the boards began to sell as fast as the brothers could make them. Eventually, they decided to go into the pichenotte business full-time. 

They set up a workshop in the garage of their house and started turning out boards. More than 450 have been produced to date. Made of birchwood and mahogany, each weighs 12 kg and is 1cm thick. As Norm explains, ‘They’re very durable, as they have to stand up to lots of wear. ’ They are available, at $595 each, from the brothers’ website. 

As yet, there are no professional pichenotte players or TV coverage to produce pichenotte celebrities. Nonetheless, the day is not far off when the brothers' garage will be home to a luxury Mercedes rather than a saw and piles of wood. Until then, they're happy to spend their off-duty hours playing the game they hope will make their fortune.