Ssangnyuk rules and their sources
Every rule below says which Korean source it comes from. Where the sources disagree, they are shown side by side rather than merged.
| Rule | This board | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|
| Checkers | Fifteen per side | The National Folk Museum and the Ministry of Culture say fifteen. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture says sixteen, and the Encyclopedia of Seasonal Customs adds that sixteen is used in North Korea. |
| Board | Twenty-four points and a bar | The Encyclopedia of Seasonal Customs describes twenty-four fields and says the two large middle spaces are where hit checkers rest. The board splits into anyuk and bakkatyuk, the home and outer boards. |
| Direction | The two sides run opposite ways | The Encyclopedia of Seasonal Customs says the white side moves only from the black home board toward the white home board. |
| Dice | Two dice, combined or split | The National Folk Museum says a 6 and 3 moves one checker nine points, or two checkers six and three, and that you may not recut it as five and four. |
| Doubles | You use the number twice | The Ministry of Culture says that on doubles you may move two checkers at once. No Korean source says four times. Four is the backgammon rule. |
| Hitting | A lone enemy checker is hit | The National Folk Museum says that if one enemy checker sits there you take it and place your own, and that the hit checker must leave the board. A lone checker is a bari and a hit one is a gwihyangmal. |
| The bar | Bar checkers come in first | The Encyclopedia of Seasonal Customs and the Ministry of Culture both say that while a checker sits outside, no other checker may move. |
| Blocking | Two or more enemy checkers block a point | The Encyclopedia of Seasonal Customs, the National Folk Museum, and the Ministry of Culture all say the same thing. |
| Checkers per point | Five at most | The Ministry of Culture says a point holds five checkers. The Encyclopedia of Seasonal Customs says no more than five may enter, and the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture says six. The three disagree, and this board follows the Ministry of Culture. |
| Bearing off | An oversized roll still bears off | The Encyclopedia of Seasonal Customs and the Ministry of Culture both say that overshooting the number does not matter when bearing off. Backgammon requires the higher points to be empty, a condition the Korean sources never state. |
| Winning | First side to bear all fifteen off | The National Folk Museum calls a finished game one dong and says a full match is usually best of three. This board plays a single game and does not run matches. |
Interpretation
The sources are silent on these, so this board decided them. They are gaps we filled, and we say so rather than presenting them as traditional rules.
- Opening setup Fifteen checkers in four groups The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture gives a layout for sixteen checkers. No source gives one for fifteen.
- First player The board number decides Each side rolls one die and the higher one starts. The sources name this jaengdu but never describe how it is done.
- Point numbers Numbered from the left No source numbers the points. These numbers exist so the screen can name a square.
- Passing No voluntary pass Two sources say a player may rest without throwing. If both sides rest, the game never ends, so this board leaves it out.
- Double sixes No special power One source says double six sends an enemy checker back and grants another roll. It does not say which checker or how many times, so this board leaves it out.
How this differs from backgammon
- Twenty-four points and a bar in the middle.
- Two dice, played together or split.
- A lone checker is hit and re-enters from the start.
- A point with two or more enemy checkers is closed.
- The two sides run in opposite directions.
- Fifteen checkers per side.
- Ssangnyuk caps how many checkers a point holds. Backgammon does not.
- Doubles play twice here and four times in backgammon.
- An oversized roll bears off here. Backgammon needs the higher points empty.
- The doubling cube appears in no Ssangnyuk source.
- The National Folk Museum settles a match over best of three games.
We do not claim a canonical rule set
The Encyclopedia of Seasonal Customs states that the known rules vary by region, and the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture states that even the checkers are not fixed. So this board does not claim one true version. It only says which source it followed.