What is Korean hopscotch (Sabangchigi)?
Sabangchigi is the Korean version of hopscotch: you draw boxes on the ground, toss a flat stone into them one by one and hop to the end and back on one or two feet, skipping the box that holds the stone. It is also called stone kicking or land grabbing in some regions, and it was a favorite school playground game drawn with chalk or a stick.
This game uses the classic eight box court. Boxes 1, 2 and 3 run up in a single line, 4 and 5 sit side by side, 6 is single again, 7 and 8 are side by side, and a half circle called the sky sits on top. Single rows are hopped on one foot and double rows are landed with both feet apart.
What are the rules?
Each turn has three parts: toss the stone, hop up and back, and pick the stone up. Any mistake passes the turn. A clean run lets the same player go on to the next box.
| Part | What you do | What counts as a miss |
|---|---|---|
| Toss | Throw the stone into the box for your current stage | The stone touches a line, lands in another box or leaves the court |
| Hop up | Hop from box 1 to the sky, skipping only the stone's box | Missing the beat badly and stepping on a line, or wobbling until you fall |
| Hop back | Turn around in the sky, hop down and pick up the stone just before its box | Same as hopping up |
| Sky toss | After all eight boxes, throw the stone into the half circle | The stone touches the arc or lands outside |
| Claim land | Toss the stone over your shoulder; the box it lands in becomes yours | None. You take the box where the light stops |
Your land gets a chalk name stamp, and the other player can no longer step there. Stages on the opponent's land are skipped entirely.
How do I hop on the beat?
A ring shrinks over the next landing spot. Tap the moment it closes onto the footprint. A yellow ring means one foot, a wide light blue ring means both feet.
The first two clicks are a count in, and you start hopping on the third. A perfect tap shows Perfect, a slightly early or late one shows Good, and a bigger miss shows Wobble and adds a balance dot. Three dots and you fall over, while each Perfect removes one dot. Being more than 0.26 seconds off the beat means you stepped on a line. The beat gets faster as you clear more stages.
How do I throw the stone?
Press anywhere and pull back like a slingshot; an aiming ring appears and the stone flies when you let go. Pull further to throw further, pull left to throw right.
The aiming ring sways like a shaky hand, more so for long throws. Release while it glows green and the stone lands cleanly inside the box. On a keyboard, move the ring with the arrow keys and press Space.
What game modes are there?
- Solo record: count how many stages you clear before your first miss. Each box is one stage, the sky toss and land claim is one more, then the court starts again from box 1.
- Versus CPU: Easy, Normal or Hard. A miss hands the turn to the computer, and the first to claim two boxes wins.
- Two players: P1 and P2 take turns on one screen with the same rules.
Any tips?
- Release as the sway passes the middle. Waiting for the green ring is the safest throw.
- Listen to the clicks. Tapping to the sound lands far more Perfects than watching alone.
- With two balance dots, go for a Perfect. One Perfect takes a dot away and keeps you standing.
- Claim a single box. Owning box 1, 2, 3 or 6 forces your opponent to leap the whole row, which makes their rhythm much harder.
Controls
- Phone or mouse: press, pull back and release to toss. Tap anywhere to hop and to pick your land.
- Keyboard: arrow keys or WASD to aim, Space or Enter to toss. Space, Enter or the up arrow to hop and pick land.
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