Stapu
Play Stapu now · free, no download, no sign-up
Stapu is hopscotch as it is played in Indian courtyards and school playgrounds, chalked on the floor with a flat stone in your hand. You throw the stone into the right box, then hop up the course and back without stepping on a line or into the box where your stone lies.
It is a rhythm and timing game more than a running game: every hop lands on the beat, single boxes take one foot and double boxes take both. It suits younger players who know the playground game, and anyone who likes a calm challenge with a satisfying perfect landing.
How to play
- Throw: drag back and let go so the stone lands inside your current box, not on a line and not in another box.
- Hop the course on the beat: left or right foot in single boxes, following the chalk footprint, and both feet in double boxes.
- Never hop into the box that holds your stone; jump over it, or use one foot in the other half of a double box.
- Turn round in HOME and start back down the course.
- On the way back, hold bend in the box just before your stone to pick it up, then hop out.
- Clear box 1, then box 2, and so on. The first to clear every box wins and claims a house with a blind throw.
Controls
On a phone or tablet
Drag back and release to throw. Tap the LEFT, BOTH and RIGHT buttons on the beat to hop, and hold BOTH to bend.
On a computer
Aim with the arrow keys and throw with Space. Hop with A for left, S for both feet and D for right, and hold S to bend.
Game modes
Solo
Clear today's course in as few turns as you can; a new course comes every day.
Vs computer
Race computer kids on easy, medium or hard, who misthrow and fumble hops more or less often depending on the level.
2 players
Take turns with a friend on one device.
Tips
- Let go of the stone when the wobbling landing mark crosses the middle of the box.
- Hop as the timing ring closes; the perfect window is small, so listen to the beat.
- A double box with your stone in it becomes a one-foot hop into the free half.
- Look at the chalk footprint before each single box so you use the correct foot.
- During the computer's turn, tap the screen to speed it up.
About the game
Stapu, also called kith-kith in some regions, is one of the many hopscotch games children play around the world with chalk and a stone. This game keeps the throw, the hop pattern, the stone pick-up and the closing blind throw for a house, and adds a beat to hop to and computer kids to race.
On a phone it plays in portrait with a drag to throw and three large buttons for the feet. On a desktop the A, S and D keys sit naturally under three fingers, which makes keeping the rhythm easy.
Questions
- Is Stapu free?
- Yes, it is free to play in your browser.
- Can two people play on one device?
- Yes. In 2 players mode you take turns on the same screen.
- What does claiming a house mean?
- After clearing every box, you throw the stone blind; the box it lands in becomes your house.
- Is the course different every day?
- Yes, solo mode uses a new daily course.
