Squash uses point-a-rally (PAR) scoring to 11. The player who wins a rally scores 1 point and serves next, no matter who served. The first player to 11 points wins the game, but at 10-10 you must win by 2 clear points. A match is usually best of 5 games (first to win 3), or sometimes best of 3.
This guide follows the World Squash Singles Rules 2025 (version 1.2, in force from 1 September 2025). It covers how points are won, who serves, how the score is called, lets and strokes, and what happened to the old scoring to 9 and to 15. Doubles squash has its own World Squash rules; this guide covers singles.
Squash scoring rules in brief
- Every rally scores. The rally winner gets 1 point, whether they served or not.
- Winner serves. The rally winner serves the next rally.
- Games to 11. First to 11 wins the game.
- Win by 2 at 10-10. From 10-all, play on until one player leads by 2, for example 12-10 or 15-13.
- Match. Best of 5 games is normal. Best of 3 is allowed.
- Breaks. Up to 2 minutes between games.
How do you win a point in squash?
You win a point when your opponent fails to make a good return, or serves a fault. A return is good if the ball is hit before it bounces twice and reaches the front wall above the tin and below the out-line, without bouncing on the floor first.
- Down: the ball hit the tin or the floor before reaching the front wall, or hit the front wall and then the tin.
- Out: the ball hit the out-line or above it, or left the court.
- Not up: the ball bounced twice before it was hit, was not hit correctly (for example hit twice), or touched the striker.
- Fault: a bad serve. The receiver wins the rally.
What happens at 10-10?
At 10-all, the game goes on until one player is 2 points ahead. There is no upper limit, so a game can end 14-12 or even 20-18. The Marker calls “10-all: a player must win by 2 points” the first time it happens in each game.
Who serves in squash, and from which box?
- First serve: the player who wins the spin of a racket serves first in the match. In later games, the winner of the last rally of the game before serves first, because the rally winner always serves next.
- Choosing a box: at the start of each game, and each time the serve changes hands, the server picks which service box to serve from.
- Keep switching: while you keep winning rallies, you serve from the other box each time.
- After a let: the server serves again from the same box.
A serve is good if you have one foot inside the service box (not touching its lines), hit the front wall between the service line and the out-line, and the ball lands in the opposite back quarter of the court without touching a line, unless the receiver volleys it.
How is the score called?
The server’s score is always said first. When the serve changes to the other player, the Marker says “hand out” before the score. Here are calls taken from the World Squash rule book:
- “Not up. Hand out, 4-3.” (The receiver won the rally, so they now serve and lead 4-3.)
- “Stroke to Jones, 10-8, Game Ball.” (Jones needs one more point to win the game.)
- “10-8, Match Ball.” (One more point wins the match.)
“Game ball” means a player needs 1 point to win the game. “Match ball” means they need 1 point to win the match.
Let vs stroke: how they change the score
When players get in each other’s way, the striker can stop and ask for a let, usually by saying “Let, please.” The Referee then gives one of three answers:
| Decision | What it means | Effect on the score |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, let | Neither player wins the rally | No point. The rally is replayed from the same box. |
| Stroke | The striker is awarded the rally | The striker scores 1 point. |
| No let | The request is turned down | The striker stopped without making a good return, so the opponent wins the rally, scores 1 point and serves next. |
In short, a stroke is given when the striker could have made a good return and the opponent did not make every effort to get out of the way, when the striker’s swing was blocked by the opponent, or when the striker would have hit a winning shot. A let is given when the opponent was trying to clear but the striker could still have made a good return.
What about squash scoring to 9 or to 15?
Both are older systems. The 2024 World Squash rules listed them as alternatives, and the 2025 rules removed them as “no longer applicable”. Clubs or leagues may still agree to use them locally, so check before a match. We could not confirm which ones still do.
- Hand-in/hand-out to 9 (often called “English” scoring): only the server could score. If the receiver won a rally, they just took over the serve. At 8-8, the receiver chose to play to 9 (“Set 1”) or to 10 (“Set 2”).
- PAR to 15: the same as today’s scoring, but games went to 15, with win-by-2 from 14-all.
| PAR to 11 (current) | PAR to 15 (old) | Hand-in/hand-out to 9 (old) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who can score | Either player | Either player | Server only |
| Game to | 11 | 15 | 9 |
| Tie rule | Win by 2 from 10-10 | Win by 2 from 14-14 | At 8-8, receiver picks 9 or 10 |
| Status | World Squash rule | Removed in 2025 | Removed in 2025 |
A quick example game
Sam serves first and wins 3 rallies, so the score is 3-0 to Sam, and Sam keeps switching service boxes. Lee then wins a rally. That is “hand out, 1-3”: Lee now serves, and Lee’s score comes first. Later the score reaches 10-10 with Lee serving, and the Marker calls “10-all: a player must win by 2 points”. Lee wins the next rally: “11-10, Game Ball”. Sam wins the one after that: “Hand out, 11-11”. Sam wins again: “12-11, Game Ball”. Sam wins once more to make it 13-11, leading by 2, and takes the game.
Comparing racket sports? See badminton scoring, pickleball scoring and how tennis scoring works, or darts scoring for something completely different.
Frequently asked questions
How many points is a game of squash?
11 points, with a 2-point lead needed if the score reaches 10-10.
Can you score when you are not serving in squash?
Yes. Under PAR scoring, the winner of every rally scores a point, and then serves the next rally.
How many games are in a squash match?
Usually best of 5, so the first to win 3 games wins. Best of 3 (first to 2) is also allowed.
What does “hand out” mean in squash?
It means the serve has passed to the other player. The Marker says it before calling the new score.
Does a let count as a point?
No. A let means the rally is replayed and no one scores. A stroke does give a point.
Is squash still scored to 9?
Not under the World Squash rules. Hand-in/hand-out scoring to 9 was removed in the 2025 rules, though some clubs may still choose to use it.
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