Court & Equipment
The squash rackets ball is made of hollow black rubber, is 1 3/4-inches in diameter, and weighs about 1 ounce. The racquet is approximately the size of a badminton racket, but is more solidly made. Maximum length is 27 inches; the strung surface of the round wooden head has a diameter measuring about 6 3/4 inches, and the weight is 8 to 10 ounces.
The American singles court is 32 feet long and 18 feet, 6 inches wide. A line from front wall to back wall splits the court in half, and there is a "short line," or "service-court line," drawn across the court 18 feet from the front wall.
The ceiling is 18 feet or more above the floor, but is out of play. A play line on the walls is 16 feet above the floor on the front wall and along each side wall to the service-court line; 12 feet above the floor on the side walls behind the service-court line; and 7 feet above the floor at the back wall. The ball is out of play if it strikes a wall above this line.
A "telltale" of sheet metal, 17 inches high, stretches across the base of the front wall. A service line, or cut line, is drawn across the front wall at a height of 6 feet 6 inches.
At each side of the court a service box is marked. It is a quarter-circle, with a radius of 4 feet 6 inches, behind the service-court line and drawn from that line to the side wall.
Basic American Rules
Players spin a racquet to determine who will serve the first point. After that, the winner of a point serves the next point; in other words, the server, upon losing a point, also loses service. A player can make the first serve from either service box, right or left, but must then alternate service boxes until service is lost.
The server must have at least one foot completely within the service box until the ball is struck, and may not have either foot over the service-court line. The serve must first hit the front wall, above the service line, and its first contact with the floor must be behind the short line and within the service court on the other side.
The ball may hit the side walls or the back wall before landing in the service court. If the first service is a fault, the server gets another try. Two successive faults result in loss of point and service.
All subsequent shots must be played on the fly or on first bounce (from the floor), and must hit the front wall, above the telltale, before striking the floor. The ball may be played off side walls and back wall, but must not hit above the play line. Any shot that hits above the play line, or that hits the telltale, results in loss of point.
A player has to permit an opponent access to the ball, enough space in which to execute a racquet stroke, and free passage for the ball to the front wall and to the side walls near the front wall. Interference with the opponent is called a "hinder"; if intentional, a referee may award a point to the opponent. If the hinder is unintentional, the result is a "let," and the point is played over again. If there is no referee, the player interfered with requests a let, play stops, and the point begins over again.
English Rules
The English court is 21 feet wide and the ball is somewhat smaller and not as lively as the American ball. Only the server can score a point. If the server doesn't score on an exchange, the player merely loses service.
Game consists of 15 points, with a few exceptions. If the score reaches 13-all, the player who lost the last point can "set" the game at 15, 16, or 18 points. If that player sets it at 18, for example, the first player to total 18 points is the winner. If the score reaches 14-all without having been 13-all, the loser of the last point can set the game at 15 or 17.
Doubles
The doubles court is 45 by 25 feet; the play line is 20 feet high on the front wall and on the side walls to a point 31 feet back; 15 feet high on the side walls behind that point; and 7 feet high on the back wall. The service-court line is 30 feet; from the front wall; the service boxes are quarter circles with a radius of 9 feet, 6 inches; and the service line is 8 feet, 2 inches high. The ball is livelier than the singles ball.
The rules of play are the same as in singles, except for service. When a team wins service, it retains it until both members of the team have served. In other words, the other team must win two points before gaining service.