- The right to choose the initial order of serving, receiving and starting at a particular end shall be decided by toss and the winner may choose to serve or to receive first or to start at a particular end.
- When one player or pair has chosen to serve or to receive first or to start at a particular end, the other player or pair shall have the other choice.
- After 2 points have been scored, the serving player or pair shall become the receiving player or pair. This will continue until the end of the game, unless both the players and pairs score 10 points or the expedite system is in operation, when the sequence of serving and receiving shall be the same but each player shall serve for only 1 point in turn.
Player playing table tennis
- In each game of a doubles match, the pair having the right to serve first shall choose which of them will do so and in the first game of a match, the receiving pair shall decide which of them will receive first; in subsequent games in the match, the first server having been chosen, the first receiver shall be the player who served to him or her in the preceding game.
- In doubles, during the change of service, the previous receiver shall become the server and partner of the previous server shall become the receiver.
- The player or pair serving first in a game shall receive first in the next game of the match and in the last possible game of a doubles match, the pair due to receive next shall change their order of receiving when the first pair scores 5 points.
Left arm service in table tennis
- The player or pair starting at one end in a game shall start at the other end in the next game of the match and in the last possible game of a match, the players or pair shall change ends when the first one player or pair scores 5 points.
- If a player serves or receives out of turn, play shall be interrupted by the umpire as soon as the error is discovered and shall resume with those players serving and receiving who should be server and receiver respectively at the score that has been reached, according to the sequence established at the beginning of the match and, in doubles, to the order of serving chosen by the pair having the right to serve first in the game during which the error is discovered.
- If the players have not changed ends when they should have done so, play shall be interrupted by the umpire as soon as the error is discovered and shall resume with the players at the ends at which they should be at the score that has been reached, according to the sequence established at the beginning of the match.
- In any circumstances, all points scored before the discovery of an error shall be reckoned.
- The expedite system shall come into operation after 10 minutes’ play in a game or at any time when requested by both the players or pairs except that expedite system shall not be introduced in a game if at least18 points have been scored.
- If the ball is in play when the time limit is reached and the expedite system is due to come into operation, play shall be interrupted by the umpire and shall resume with service by the player who served in the rally that was interrupted; if the ball is not in play when the expedite system comes into operation, play shall resume with service by the player who received in the immediately preceding rally.
- Thereafter, each player shall serve for 1 point in turn until the end of the game, and if the receiving player or pair makes 13 good returns in a rally, the receiver shall score a point.
- Introduction of the expedite system shall not alter the order of serving and receiving in the match.
- Once introduced, the expedite system shall remain in operation until the end of the match.
Scoring System
- A match shall consist of the best of any odd number of games.
- A game shall be won by the player or pair first scoring 11 points unless both the sides score 10 points each, when the game shall be won by the first player or pair subsequently gaining a lead of 2 points.
