How to play Alkkagi

What Alkkagi is

All you need is a Go board and stones. Two players split black and white, set them on opposite sides, and take turns flicking one of their own stones to knock the other side's stones off the edge. You do not need to know Go, which is why families play it on holidays.

The name means roughly "cracking stones". Carrom and crokinole are close cousins, but they use a special board and discs. Alkkagi uses the Go set you already have.

Basic rules

Flick one of your own stones per turn. Players alternate.

A stone that leaves the board is out. It does not come back, yours included.

Clear all enemy stones first to win. If one flick clears both sides, it is a draw.

House rules vary. Some families give an extra turn for a knockout, some use more stones. The rules on this board are right below.

The rules on this board

Five stones each. In vs bot and two players, five black and five white start on the fourth line from each side. Black flicks first.

No extra turn for a knockout. The turn always passes.

A stone is out when its center crosses the edge. More than half hanging over means out. Less than half stays on.

The same flick always does the same thing. The physics uses no randomness, so the same stone, direction and power roll exactly the same way. The leaderboard replays your daily flicks from the start to check your score.

The daily board is a puzzle. Three black and five white stones sit where the date puts them, and white never moves on its own. Clear all white and your flick count is your score, lower is better. If your black stones go off first, start over. Thirty flicks at most.

The aim arrow is always free. Everyone sees direction and power. Only the path preview, which draws where every stone will roll and what falls off, is limited to five a day for free and unlimited with the helper subscription. Boards that used it are marked as helped on the leaderboard.

Basic tips

A straight hit stops your stone. Equal stones hitting head on trade speed: yours nearly stops and theirs flies. Hit straight to keep your stone on the board.

Go for stones near the edge. They fall with a soft hit, and a soft hit keeps your stone close.

Too hard and your stone follows. A glancing hit sends your stone sliding sideways. Use only the power you need.

Advanced tips

Line two stones up. When two enemy stones touch, flick straight through them and the front one passes its speed to the back one. Both can go. This is how you beat the bot's daily score.

Keep your stones inside. On their turn, your stone near the edge is the first target. Think about where your stone stops.

Nudge to open a path. If nothing can fall this turn, push an enemy stone toward the edge for next time.

Common snags

I pressed my stone and nothing happened. A tiny pull does not flick. Pull until you see the power bar fill.

It went the wrong way. Like a slingshot, it flies away from where you pull. The arrow on the board shows where it goes.

My hand shakes when aiming. Use the turn and power buttons under the board, then tap Flick.

The bot is too good. Pick Easy. In our simulations random flicks, going first, beat Easy in 24 of 40 games.

About the name

Alkkagi is a traditional game name that belongs to no one. The physics, the daily board and the bot here are our own.