Who wins a kurash bout if nobody scores a khalol?
B · Beginner · Scores and penalties · 3 of 3If time runs out without a khalol, the athlete with the higher score wins: one yonbosh beats any number of chalas, and more chalas beat fewer. A score outranks a penalty. If the scores are equal, the athlete who scored last wins. The saved rules do not say what happens when nobody has scored at all.
How it works
- Higher score wins: a yonbosh is above every chala.
- Chalas: counted, when neither athlete has a yonbosh.
- Equal scores: the athlete with the last score wins.
- Score against penalty: the score has the advantage.
- Equal cautions: the page says victory goes to the athlete who was cautioned first.
- The board: the final score stays on the scoreboard until the winner is announced.
- After the result: the athletes bow and leave together.
The glossary has the appraisal, the chala, the yonbosh, the tanbekh, the bout and the jazo.
Tricky cases
Blue has one yonbosh and green has three chalas at full time. Who wins?
Blue. Chalas cannot become a higher score, however many there are.
Each athlete has one chala. Who wins?
The athlete who scored the later one. On equal scores, victory goes by the last score.
Both athletes have one tanbekh and nothing else. Who wins?
It is not clear. Each tanbekh gives the other athlete a chala, so the scores are equal. One rule gives equal scores to the last score. Another says that on equal cautions victory goes to the athlete cautioned first. The wording is loose and this page does not settle it.
Neither athlete has any score or penalty at full time. What happens?
Not stated. The section of the saved page headed "Results of fight" is empty. Jazo at half time is meant to prevent this, but the page has no rule for a bout that still ends blank.
Why the rule exists
A knockout needs a winner from every bout, so the rules rank everything that can be on the board. Giving a level bout to the last scorer rewards the athlete who was still attacking at the end.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Khalol | Bout ends at once | IKA Rules 28.4 |
| Unequal scores at time | Higher score wins | IKA Rules 28.6 |
| Equal scores | Last score wins | IKA Rules 27.2 |
| Score against penalty | Score wins | IKA Rules 27.3 |
| Equal cautions | First cautioned wins, as printed | IKA Rules 27.4 |
| Blank scoreboard | Not stated | IKA Rules 29 (empty) |
From the rule book
International Kurash Association, International rules of organization and holding of Kurash competitions (web page, adopted 1998, categories for 2026), sections 10, 20, 27, 28 and 29. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the federation's competition rules (saved as a web page only).