Jackstones

dexterity game of ancient origins

Jackstones is a traditional Korean game. It is usually played by girls.[1] The game is similar to the game Jacks. Jackstones is also a traditional game played in IndiaTamilnadu by the name Anchakal it is also played in rural villages of Andhra Pradesh by the name of Achenagandlu or Achamgilla or Chintapikkala aata, using small stones or Tamarind seeds.

A painting of a girl play Jackstones

Game play

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The game is played with five stones. Each stone is about the size of an almond. Players can only use one hand to play the game. The game has five parts or "stages".

In the first stage, the player throws the stones on the ground. They pick up one stone and throw it upward. Before the stone falls onto the ground, they need to pick up another stone from the ground and then catch the one that was thrown. This is done again until there are no stones on the ground.

The second stage is the same with the first stage except that the player needs to pick up two stones at once before the stone which was thrown falls down. The third and the fourth stages are the same.

In the fifth stage, players can get points. All of the stones are thrown upward. The player must catch as many of the stones as they can with the back of their hand. Then, the stones they caught are thown into the air again and the player must catch all of them. The player gets points for how many stones they catch. If they caught 3 stones, they get 3 points. If they caught 4 stones, they get four points. After that, the next player does the same. When all players have done this, the game is finished. The person (or the team) who has a higher point wins.

Also there are several rules;

  • The player is out if they touch any stones that they were not supposed to touch.
  • The player is out if they do not catch the stone in the air.
  • The player is out if they do not catch all the stones from the back of their hand in the air.

If a player is out, the next person (or team) gets the turn.

References

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  1. Culin, Stewart (1895). Korean Games with Notes on the Corresponding Games of China and Japan. University of Pennsylvania.