Yut Nori is a traditional Korean board game, typically played to celebrate the New Year, which focuses on strategy, luck, and teamwork. The game is played with two teams, four carved sticks that act as dice, and four playing pieces. The goal is to get all four of your team’s playing pieces around a 29-station board to the finish line before the other team does. 

There are five possible outcomes when throwing the sticks:

Do (도): One flat side up = One space

Gae (개): Two flat sides up = Two spaces

Geol (걸): Three flat sides up = Three spaces

Yut (윷): Four flat sides up = Four spaces plus an extra turn

Mo (모): Zero flat sides up = Five spaces plus an extra turn

But, on one of the flat sides of the sticks, there is an X which makes you go back one space. This only applies if that flat side is the only flat side up. In addition, if a piece lands on an opponent’s piece, the opponent’s piece is removed, and your team gets another turn. If a piece lands on your own, they can form a group to move together. 

So, how did this traditional game come to be? Traditionally, this game was used for fortune-telling and wishing for a good harvest. This game is often played during festivals like Chuseok and Lunar New Year, and has been around for a very long time, dating back to the Three Kingdoms period (57 BCE – 668 CE). 

When you get a chance, you should definitely try this game out as it can be very competitive and fun!