Squash · Rules explained
Let, stroke and no let in squash
In squash a let means the rally is replayed and nobody scores. A stroke gives the rally to the player who asked for the let, which under standard PAR scoring is a point. A no let turns the request down, so the rally, and the point, go to the opponent.
What do let, stroke and no let do to the score?
| Decision | What it means | Result under PAR scoring |
|---|---|---|
| Let | Rally replayed, no point | No point. The same player serves again, from the same box |
| Stroke | Rally awarded to the player who appealed | A point and the next serve to the player who asked |
| No let | Rally lost by the player who appealed | A point and the next serve to the opponent |
Under English (hand-in hand-out) scoring the decisions are the same, but a rally won by the receiver scores nothing, so a stroke to the receiver wins them only the serve. See PAR vs English scoring.
How does the referee decide between a let and a stroke?
When the striker, the player whose turn it is to hit, stops and asks for a let, the referee answers two questions in order:
- Could the striker have made a good return? If not, it is a no let. It is also a no let if there was no interference, if the interference was minimal and did not stop the striker seeing and reaching the ball, or if the striker played on through it and asked afterwards.
- Was the opponent making every effort to avoid the interference? If yes, it is a let. If not, it is a stroke to the striker.
One case skips the second question: if the striker would have hit a winning return, it is a stroke even if the opponent was doing everything to clear.
What happens when the ball hits your opponent?
If the ball hits the opponent before it reaches the front wall, play stops. The decision depends on whether the return would have been good, where it was going, and whether the striker had turned:
- Not a good return anyway: the opponent wins the rally.
- Straight to the front wall, on a first attempt, without turning: a stroke to the striker.
- To the front wall off another wall first, without turning: a let, unless the return would have been a winning one, which is a stroke to the striker.
- On a further attempt after a miss, without turning: a let.
- After the striker has turned: a stroke to the opponent, whichever way the ball was going, unless the opponent moved deliberately into its path, which gives the stroke to the striker.
Turning means following the ball round, or letting it pass around you, and hitting it on the other side of your body. A striker who has turned and then stops for fear of hitting the opponent gets a let.
When else is a let played?
A let is also played when:
- the ball breaks during the rally;
- the receiver was not ready and made no attempt to return the serve;
- something outside the players' control distracts one of them, unless that player's winning return was interrupted, in which case they win the rally.
After any let the server serves again from the same box, and the score stays where it was.
How do you ask for a let?
Stop and ask straight away, preferably by saying "Let, please". Normally only the striker can ask. Asking for a let includes asking for a stroke, and the referee can give either or refuse. The referee can also stop play and give a let or a stroke unasked, especially for safety.
With no referee, the two players settle it between themselves, using the same two questions.
Worked example: six rallies, three kinds of decision
Anna leads Ben 6-5 under PAR scoring and is serving. Each decision below was checked against the rules above, and scores are shown Anna first.
| Rally | What happened | Decision and next serve | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anna serves at 6-5 and asks for a let. She could have reached the ball, and Ben was not making every effort to clear. | Stroke to Anna. She serves again, from the other box | 7-5 |
| 2 | Ben blocks Anna again, but he was trying to clear and she could have reached the ball. | Let. Anna serves again, from the same box | 7-5 |
| 3 | Replayed rally. Anna asks for a let on a drop shot she could not have reached. | No let. Hand-out: Ben serves, from the box he chooses | 7-6 |
| 4 | Ben's drive, his first attempt, hits Anna on its way straight to the front wall. Ben had not turned. | Stroke to Ben. He serves again, from the other box | 7-7 |
| 5 | The ball breaks. | Let. Ben serves again, from the same box | 7-7 |
| 6 | Ben plays on through interference, then stops and asks for a let. | No let. Hand-out: Anna serves, from the box she chooses | 8-7 |
Only four of the six rallies changed the score. The two lets left it, and the server's box, exactly where they were.
How the app handles it
The app records only who won each rally, so it has no let, stroke or no let buttons and does not record appeals or faults. For a let, tap nothing: the rally is replayed. For a stroke or a no let, tap the side the referee awarded the rally, and the serving marker moves to that side. Conduct penalties such as a conduct game or conduct match are not supported. If you tap the wrong side, undo removes the last rally and rebuilds the score from the rest.
Questions
Is there a let serve in squash?
Not in the tennis sense, because there is no net. A serve is either good or a fault, and a fault loses the rally. A serve is replayed as a let only for another reason, such as the receiver not being ready and making no attempt to return it.
What does "yes let" mean in squash?
It is the referee's call that the rally will be replayed, with no point to either player. The referee answers a let request with one of three calls: "Yes let", "No let" or "Stroke to" followed by the player's name.
What is a conduct stroke in squash?
A penalty for misconduct, not an interference decision. The referee's conduct penalties run from a conduct warning to a conduct stroke, a conduct game and a conduct match, and a conduct stroke awards a point to the opponent.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
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