Gonggi


Gonggi is a popular Korean children's game that is traditionally played using five or more small grape-sized pebbles. Nowadays, children buy colourful plastic stones instead of finding pebbles. It can be played alone or with friends. The stones are called gonggitdol. Since only a few stones and a flat surface are needed for play, the game can be played by anyone almost anywhere. An equivalent game also exists in Nepal and is known as 'gatti'.This game is also played in South India especially in Tamilnadu and Kerala. It's called "kallu". same rules apply only that they play using pebbles.
The game is also called Jjagebatgi in North Gyeongsang Province, Salgu in South Gyeongsang Province, and Datjjakgeoli in South Jeolla Province.

Gameplay

The game generally begins with each player tossing the stones from the palm of their hand into the air. While airborne, the player switches their hand backside up. The gonggi stones are then caught on the back of the hand. The person with the leading amount plays first.
While the stones are airborne, the player switches their hand backside up, catches several stones, switches their hand backside down, and catches the stones that are left over.
While the stones are airborne, the player claps their hand before catching the stones.
Both “dragon” and “clap-toss” gives the player twice the score; twice the number of stones.

Crisis

The game is called crisis because when a player reaches a certain score, the player has to go through crisis. In Korea, the crisis scores are usually the multiples of 5 or numbers that include 3, 6, or 9. When a player reaches a crisis score, the rules become different:
Since other players don’t want the player to earn more points, they choose the stone that is the hardest for the player to carry on. For example, in the first level, if two stones touch each other, other players make sure not to choose either one of the two stones. As a result, the player has to go through a crisis of needing to grab each stone without touching the other stone.
Other players try to throw the stone with accuracy and strength in order to make the other 4 stones scatter. The more they scatter, the harder it is for the player to grab at 4 stones at once.
This game is usually introduced to children before they learn how to play gonggi. The main and the only difference between snail and gonggi is how to grab the stone. In snail, the edge of the player’s hand has to be stuck on the ground at every step. Instead of throwing a stone up in the air, the player sweeps his hand across the ground in a large circle and grabs a certain number of stones. The number of stones the player has to grab at once is same as gonggi. Snail is an easy way to make oneself familiar with the number of stones one has to catch at each level.

Genius Gonggi

This game is taught to people who are adept in playing gonggi. The difference from gonggi is that the player doesn’t throw one stone in the air but all stones that are in the player’s hand. After throwing multiple stones, the player grabs other stone from the ground and catches all the stones they threw. Like snail, the number of stones the player has to grab is same as gonggi.

Playing calls

There are many playing calls in the Gonggi game. The standard calls have been listed here. The penalty for a "mess–up" requires that the player who has perpetrated it pass the stones to the next player.