In the context of bowling scorekeeping, a forward slash represents a spare. A spare is achieved when all ten pins are knocked down using two deliveries in a single frame. For example, knocking down seven pins on the first ball and the remaining three on the second is marked with a ‘/’.
This concise notation is crucial for efficient and accurate scorekeeping. It distinguishes a spare from a strike (marked with an ‘X’) and an open frame (marked with the number of pins knocked down). The spare’s significance lies in its bonus scoring system: the bowler receives ten points plus the number of pins knocked down on their next delivery. This encourages strategic play, aiming not only to knock down all pins but to set up advantageous pin configurations for subsequent frames. This notation has been a standard element of bowling scoring for many decades, contributing to the sport’s consistent record-keeping and universal understanding of results.
