Kubb was evidently unknown in Gotland in 1912, when a list of traditional Gotlandic games was drawn up, in conjunction with the Olympic Games (held in Stockholm that year). Kägelkrig, the Polish game, and kaisers all seem to feature felled pins being thrown to the opponent side in order themselves to fell opponent pins, which is not a feature of contemporary kubb.

: 22 This game was known on the Swedish mainland at least as early as 1878, when it was described in Ungdomens Bok, a sort of Boys' Own Book. Sören Wallin has identified the Swedish game kägelkrig (as described in a 1911 encyclopedia ) as essentially the same as, and the forebear of, kubb. Though typologically related to kubb, no definite historical connection between these games and kubb has been shown.

The Karelian game kyykkä and the possibly Siberian game bunnock both feature team sides and (unlike the Polish game and kaisers) use versions of batons as projectiles rather than balls. Though differing from kubb in detail, kaisers, as published in Leipzig in 1800, displays most of the fundamental features of kubb, including team sides, recycled pins, a kingpin, and even the requirement to throw from behind one's own pins though as in the Polish game, the main projectile is a ball rather than a baton. Endrei & Zolnay briefly note an unnamed game, played in Poland 'as early as the sixteenth century', which seems to exhibit both features. The features of kubb most distinguishing it from other pin-toppling games (such as bowling and skittles) are that 1) teams 'own' opposite sides of the playing field, and 2) toppled pins are 'recycled' back into play and may be tossed to opposite sides. History Possible forebears Boys playing the game kaisers with-the author insists- the wrong pins The game can be played on a variety of surfaces such as grass, sand, concrete, snow, or even ice. Games can last from five minutes to well over an hour. Some rules vary from country to country and from region to region, but the ultimate objective of the game is to knock over the 'kubbs' on the opposing side of the pitch, and then to knock over the 'king', before the opponent does. 'Kubbs' are placed at both ends of the pitch, and the 'king', a larger wooden block, is placed in the middle of the pitch. Play takes place on a small rectangular playing field, known as a 'pitch'. Kubb can be described as a combination of bowling and horseshoes. Kubb (pronounced in Swedish and Gutnish) is a lawn game where the objective is to knock over wooden blocks ( kubbar) by throwing wooden batons ( kastpinnar) at them. Kubb King on an unused pitch during final rounds of the 2013 USA Kubb National Championship 2012 US National Championship in Eau Claire, WI

K block sanding blocks