Candlepin bowling is a variation of bowling that is played primarily in the Canadian Maritime provinces and the New England region of the United States. It is played with a handheld-sized ball and tall, narrow pins that resemble candles, hence the name. Comparison to ten-pin bowling As in other forms of pin bowling, players roll balls down a 60 foot, wooden or synthetic lane, to knock down as many pins as possible. Differences between candlepin bowling and ten-pin bowling include: Each player uses three candlepin balls per frame, rather than two. Candlepin balls are much smaller, being in diameter and weigh 2 lbs. 7 oz, at most. They are almost identical in weight to a pin, as opposed to in ten-pins, where the ball can weigh more than 4 times as much as a pin. There is no oil applied to the lane, so the ball does not skid, but rolls all the way down the lane. Candlepin balls lack finger holes. Candlepins are thinner (hence the name "candlepin") which increases the amount of space between pins, further reducing scoring. Fallen pins ("wood") are not cleared away between rolls during a frame, so long as the entire pin stays behind the “dead wood” line, which is 24 inches in front of the “head pin” spot. Wood in the gutters is “dead wood,” which means that if the ball makes its first contact with it, the pins felled do not count, nor are they re-spotted. History The International Candlepin Bowling Association (ICBA) website states that candlepin bowling was first played in 1880 in Worcester, Massachusetts, thought to have been developed by Justin White, owner of a billiards and bowling hall. A 1987 Sports Illustrated article stated the game was invented in 1881 in that town by one John J. Monsey, a billiards player, who is recognized for standardizing the game. A 1891 newspaper notice shows the incremental introduction of a single "candle-pin bowling set" into a bowling alley originally hosting other types of bowling. In 1906, Monsey created the National Duckpin and Candlepin Congress, which regulated ball size, pin shape and size, and lane surface characteristics, facilitating formation of leagues and other competitions. Originally, pins were inch-thick dowels, resembling candles, thought to give rise to the name, candlepins. An 1888 newspaper article referred to 2-inch thick pins. Both were thinner than modern candlepins which are specified to be inches (74.6 mm)