How Is Squash Scored?
PAR Scoring to 11, Best of 5 Games, Win by 2 & the Complete Point System Explained
Last updated: April 6, 2026
Squash uses PAR (Point-A-Rally) scoring — every rally earns a point for one player, regardless of who served. Games are played to 11 points, and if the score reaches 10-10, a player must win by 2 clear points with no cap. A match is best of 5 games — the first player to win 3 games takes the match.
How PAR Scoring Works
Since 2009 (universally), squash has used PAR (Point-A-Rally) scoring. Under this system, every rally results in a point — regardless of which player served.
- If the server wins the rally, they score 1 point and continue serving.
- If the receiver wins the rally, they score 1 point and gain the serve.
A rally can end in several ways: the ball bounces twice on the floor before the opponent reaches it, the ball hits the tin (the metal strip at the bottom of the front wall), the ball goes above the out line on any wall, a player fails to hit the ball before the second bounce, or a let/stroke decision interrupts play.
PAR scoring replaced the older hand-in/hand-out system and was adopted to make matches faster, more predictable in duration, and more television-friendly. The Professional Squash Association (PSA) introduced PAR scoring for men's events in 2004, the women's circuit followed in 2008, and the World Squash Federation (WSF) made it the universal standard in 2009.
Games, Match Format & the 2-Point Advantage
A squash match is played as a best of 5 games. The first player to win 3 games wins the match.
Standard game: Each game is played to 11 points. If one player reaches 11 while the other has 9 or fewer, the game ends immediately.
10-all rule: If the score reaches 10-10, the game does not end at 11. Instead, play continues until one player establishes a 2-point lead. There is no cap — a game can theoretically end 15-13, 20-18, or any score where the margin is exactly 2.
In practice, games at 10-all rarely extend beyond 14-12 or 15-13, but the open-ended nature of the rule creates dramatic moments in close matches.
Match outcomes: Matches can finish 3-0, 3-1, or 3-2 in games. A 3-0 sweep means one player won three consecutive games. A 3-2 result means the match went the full distance — five games — with the winner taking the last game.
Between-game intervals: Players receive a 90-second break between games. During this time, they can towel off, hydrate, receive coaching (at some events), and prepare for the next game. The referee signals the start of each new game.
Serving Rules in Squash
The serve initiates every rally in squash. Understanding serving rules is fundamental to the scoring system.
Service boxes: The court has two service boxes — one on the left side and one on the right. The server must have at least one foot completely inside the service box (not touching any line) at the moment of striking the ball.
Where the serve must land: The ball must hit the front wall above the service line (a horizontal line 1.78m above the tin) and below the out line (the top boundary), then bounce in the opposite back quarter of the court (the quarter diagonally opposite the service box the server is standing in). If it lands in the wrong quarter, hits the tin, or goes above the out line, it is a fault and the receiver wins the point.
First serve only: Unlike tennis, squash has no second serve. A fault on the serve immediately awards the point to the receiver.
Alternating service boxes: The server alternates between the left and right service boxes after each point they win. At the start of each game, the serving player chooses which box to serve from first.
Who serves first: At the start of the match, players spin a racket to determine who serves first. In subsequent games, the winner of the previous game serves first.
The Old System: Hand-In/Hand-Out Scoring
Before PAR scoring, squash used the hand-in/hand-out system (also called English scoring or international scoring). Understanding this system provides historical context for the modern game.
How it worked:
- Only the server (hand-in) could score points.
- If the receiver won the rally, they became the new server ("hand-out") but did not score a point.
- Games were played to 9 points.
The 8-all choice: If the score reached 8-8, the receiver had a unique choice:
- "Set one" — play to 9 (next point wins).
- "Set two" — play to 10 (first to 10 wins, must reach 10 not win by 2).
This choice added a layer of tactical gamesmanship — a player with momentum might choose "set one" for a quick finish, while a player who had been clawing back from behind might prefer "set two" for more margin.
Why it was replaced: Hand-in/hand-out scoring made match durations wildly unpredictable. A game could last 5 minutes or 45 minutes depending on how often serve changed hands without points being scored. This made squash difficult to schedule for television broadcasts and live event programming. PAR scoring solved this by ensuring every rally produces a point, making game duration more predictable and the sport more spectator-friendly.
Let, Stroke & No Let: The Unique Scoring Interruptions
Squash is unique among racket sports because two players share the same playing space. This creates frequent situations where one player obstructs the other's path to the ball or swing. The rules handle these situations through three possible decisions:
Let — Rally replayed: A let is awarded when the striker could have reached and played the ball but was partially impeded by the opponent. The key conditions:
- The striker must have made every effort to get to the ball.
- There was genuine interference, but not enough to warrant a stroke.
- The striker was not in a position to hit a clear winning shot. A let results in the rally being replayed — no point is scored, and the server serves again from the same box.
Stroke — Point awarded to the obstructed player: A stroke is the more severe decision. It is awarded when:
- The opponent's position prevented the striker from hitting a winning shot.
- The striker's shot would have hit the opponent on its way directly to the front wall (not via a side wall).
- The opponent made no effort to clear out of the way. A stroke awards the point to the obstructed player — equivalent to winning the rally.
No let — Rally stands: No let is called when:
- There was no genuine interference — the striker had a clear path.
- The striker could not have reached the ball regardless of the opponent's position.
- The striker created the interference by moving into the opponent's space. No let means the rally stands as played — if the striker failed to return the ball, the point goes to the opponent.
At the professional level, the 3-referee system and video review are used to ensure accuracy on these critical calls.
Warm-Up, Ball Selection & Match Preparation
Before scoring begins, squash matches include a structured warm-up period that directly affects gameplay.
Ball warm-up: Players share a 5-minute warm-up (2.5 minutes per side) at the start of the match. The primary purpose is not just player warm-up but ball warm-up — the competition-standard double yellow dot ball barely bounces when cold. Through hard hitting during the warm-up, the ball heats up and becomes playable. If the ball cools down during a long break in play, the referee may allow additional warm-up time.
The warm-up ball is the match ball. Unlike tennis where new balls are introduced during the match, squash uses the same ball throughout unless it breaks.
Ball selection by dot colour:
| Dot | Speed | Bounce | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double yellow | Slowest | Lowest | Professional, advanced competition |
| Single yellow | Slow | Low | Advanced club players |
| White / Green | Medium | Medium | Intermediate players |
| Red | Fast | High | Recreational / beginners |
| Blue | Fastest | Highest | Absolute beginners |
The double yellow dot ball is used in all PSA World Tour events, WSF World Championships, and any sanctioned competitive play above club level.
Common Misconceptions About Squash Scoring
"Only the server can score points." This was true under the old hand-in/hand-out system (pre-2009 universal adoption) but has not been the case for over 15 years. Under PAR scoring, every rally awards a point regardless of who served.
"Games are played to 9." Games were played to 9 under the old scoring system. Under PAR scoring (the current universal standard), games are played to 11 points.
"You always need to win by 2." The 2-point advantage rule only applies when the score reaches 10-10. If the score is 11-9, 11-8, or any other score where one player reaches 11 and the other has 9 or fewer, the game ends immediately — no 2-point margin needed.
"A let means the point is awarded to the obstructed player." No — a let means the rally is replayed. It is a stroke that awards the point to the obstructed player. Lets and strokes are frequently confused by newcomers to squash.
"Squash has a second serve like tennis." Squash has no second serve. A fault on the serve immediately awards the point to the receiver. This makes serve accuracy critically important.
"The ball bouncing twice always means the rally is over." The ball bouncing twice on the floor does end the rally (the player who let it bounce twice loses the point). However, the ball hitting the tin, going above the out line, or bouncing twice before the opponent can reach it all end the rally in different ways.
Worked Example: A Close 5-Game Match
Let's walk through a realistic squash match to see how PAR scoring works in practice.
Game 1: Player A wins 11-7. Straightforward — Player A reached 11 with a margin of more than 2, so the game ends at 11-7. Player A leads 1-0 in games.
Game 2: Player B wins 11-5. Player B dominated this game. Score: 1-1 in games.
Game 3: Score reaches 10-10. The 2-point advantage rule kicks in. Player A scores to make it 11-10 — but the game continues because there is no 2-point lead. Player B scores: 11-11. Player A scores: 12-11. Player B scores: 12-12. Finally, Player A scores two consecutive points: 13-12, then 14-12. Player A wins the game 14-12. Score: 2-1 in games to Player A.
Game 4: Player B wins 11-9, levelling the match at 2-2 in games.
Game 5 (Decider): The fifth game follows exactly the same rules — to 11, win by 2 at 10-all. Player A wins 11-8.
Final result: Player A wins 3-2 (11-7, 5-11, 14-12, 9-11, 11-8). The match featured 5 games, one of which went to extra points at 10-all. The 14-12 third game was the pivotal moment.
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