Yut Nori — free online Board game
Korea's New Year stick game: throw the yut, take the shortcuts and send rivals home.
Yut Nori is the traditional Korean board game played at every Lunar New Year (Seollal), free in your browser against one, two or three computer players. Throw four yut sticks and count the flat sides: do moves one station, gae two, geol three, yut four and mo five — and yut or mo lets you throw again. Race your four pieces around the 29-station board and home again. Stop exactly on a corner or the centre and your next move takes the diagonal shortcut; land on a rival and their pieces go back to the start while you get another throw; land on your own piece and you can carry them together (eopgi) — faster, but riskier. With the back-do rule on, one marked stick can send a piece a step backwards. Three computer levels; the hardest plans all of its throws together and weighs the risk of being caught. No download, no sign-up.
Quick start
- Press Start, pick the number of players and a difficulty. You are red.
- Press Throw. Yut or mo lets you throw again; the results collect as buttons above the Throw button.
- Choose a result (the highlighted one is used), then tap a piece — one waiting by your name, or one on the board. Tap it again, or the glowing station, to move.
- Bring all four pieces round the board and home before the computers do.
How to play Yut Nori
- The board has 29 stations: 20 round the edge, plus two diagonals that cross in the centre. Pieces enter at the start (bottom right) and travel anticlockwise.
- On your turn throw the four yut sticks and count how many land flat side up: one is do (1 station), two gae (2), three geol (3), four yut (4), none mo (5).
- Throwing yut or mo earns another throw. Use every result you collected, in any order and with any pieces.
- If a piece stops exactly on a corner (top right or top left) or on the centre, its next move goes along the diagonal — a shorter way home. Passing over those stations does not count.
- Landing on a rival's piece sends it back to the start and gives you another throw. Landing on your own piece stacks them (eopgi): they move together from then on, and can be captured together.
- A piece is home when it reaches or passes the start again. The first player with all four pieces home wins.
- Back-do (optional rule): one stick is marked. If it is the only flat stick, the result is back-do and a piece on the board moves one station back.
The throws
- Do 도1
- One stick flat. Named after the pig. About 15% of throws (12% with back-do).
- Gae 개2
- Two sticks flat. The dog. About 35% — the most common result with geol.
- Geol 걸3
- Three sticks flat. The sheep. About 35%.
- Yut 윷4 + throw
- All four flat. The cow. About 13%, and you throw again.
- Mo 모5 + throw
- All four round side up. The horse. About 3%, and you throw again.
- Back-do 빽도−1
- Only the marked stick flat (when the rule is on). A piece on the board steps back one station.
Controls
- Throw: the Throw button, or Space / Enter
- Choose a result: tap one of the result buttons
- Move: tap a piece (or a waiting piece by your name), then tap it again or the glowing station
- Keyboard: when it is time to move, Space / Enter plays a sensible move for you
- Back-do button: switch the back-do rule on or off (starts a new game)
Strategy tips
- Aim for the corners: a piece that stops on the top-right corner saves five stations; one that stops on the centre is three steps from home.
- Stacking moves two pieces for the price of one, but a single hit sends both back — stack when the rivals behind you are far away.
- With two results to use, play the one that lands on a corner first, then use the other along the shortcut.
- Stations one to three steps in front of a rival are the most dangerous; gae and geol are the most likely throws.
- Keep a piece in reserve at the start to hit rivals that pass close by.
Frequently asked questions
What does yut nori mean?
Yut is the name of the sticks and nori means play or game. It is played across Korea during Seollal, the Lunar New Year, often with families split into teams.
Why are the throws named after animals?
Traditionally do, gae, geol, yut and mo stand for the pig, dog, sheep, cow and horse — animals ordered by size and speed.
Do I have to land exactly on the start to go home?
No. In this version a piece is home as soon as it reaches or passes the start.
Can I choose which piece uses which throw?
Yes. All the results of your turn are shown as buttons; pick any of them and any piece, in any order.
Is Yut Nori free?
Yes. It is completely free in your browser, with no download, no account and no in-game purchases.