The basic rules
Two players split the board in half and set their stones on their own side. On your turn you flick one of your stones to hit your opponent's; any stone that leaves the board is out. Knock all of your opponent's stones off to win.
On Playfulo, each player places five stones in their own half. You cannot cross the center line or overlap stones, and you can undo the last stone you placed. Turns alternate after every flick, and if both sides lose their last stones on the same shot, it is a draw. The winner goes first next round; after a draw, the first move switches.
Placement: think attack and defense at once
Placement is half the game. Stones hugging the edge get pushed off by the lightest bump, while stones bunched in the middle invite one big shot that chains through several of them.
A solid setup keeps stones at least one or two stone-widths from the edge with about one and a half stone-widths between them. Put one or two stones forward as attackers and keep the rest far enough back that they will not fall off if a front stone gets knocked into them.
Aiming and power control
On Playfulo you press a stone and drag away from the target to build power, then release to flick it the opposite way. The farther you pull, the harder the shot, so distance judgment is the real skill. Ease the pointer back near the stone to cancel, so there is no penalty for re-aiming.
A dead-center hit transfers the most energy: the target flies away and your stone tends to stop close to the impact point. An off-center hit splits both stones at an angle and your stone keeps rolling. When you need a sure knockout, aim for the center of the target.
- Picture the line from the center of your stone to the center of the target.
- Drag straight back along that line to set the aim.
- Judge the distance to the target and from the target to the edge.
- Pull short for close targets, longer for far or central ones.
- If the aim drifts, return near the stone to cancel and try again.
Angle shots and chain hits
When you clip a stone off-center, it flies along the line from the contact point through its center. That lets you push a stone toward the nearest edge even when a straight shot would send it across the board. Hit the side opposite to where you want it to go.
When two enemy stones sit close together, a chain hit that drives the front stone into the back one can clear both in a single turn. Chains need more power, which raises the risk of losing your own stone, so picture where yours will stop before you let go.
Defense: use your stones as blockers
The most common comeback happens when an attacker stops right in front of an enemy stone and gets hit straight back. If an attack is doubtful, park a stone between the enemy and your weakest stone to block a straight line.
If an opponent is lining up on one of your stones near the edge, a soft flick that tucks it inward can buy a full turn. Not every turn needs to be an attack; moving a stone somewhere hard to hit often pays off more than a low-percentage shot.
Going first and managing the stone count
Going first lets you strike first, but a missed opening shot can leave your stone deep in enemy territory as the first target. When you open, a sure knockout on a stone near the center line is safer than a long, flashy shot.
Let the stone count guide your risk. When you are ahead, trading one stone for one is fine, so attack freely. When you are behind, use soft shots that keep your stones on the board, push enemy stones toward the edge, and wait for a chain chance that can take two at once. With only one or two stones left, one mistake ends the game, so sometimes the best move is a soft flick that tucks your stone toward the center, leaving your opponent to take the risky shot.
Common mistakes and practicing on Playfulo
New players flick almost everything at full power. Hit too hard and even a successful knockout can send your own stone off the board too. Close targets usually need half power or less.
On Playfulo you can play alkkagi free with no sign-up against AI on easy, normal, or hard, or create a room and invite a friend with a link. Learn power control on easy, then step up to hard.
- Blasting close targets and losing your own stone
- Placing stones right against the edge
- Stopping your stone right in front of an enemy stone
- Clipping the side so the target rolls inward instead of out
- Attacking every turn instead of pulling a threatened stone to safety