ひよころ (Hiyokoro)

ひよころ (Hiyokoro) is a dexterity game from Japan. Hiyokoro means 'chick', and in the game, the players are manipulating glass marbles in the open palms of their hands, is if they were newly hatched chicks. The game has a set of marbles, 8 yellow and 8 blue marbles, and 4 red and 4 green marbles. There is a deck on cards showing how the player must arrange the marbles, at the start and the finish. For example, on a turn, a player will have three yellow marbles in their right palm and two yellow and one blue marble in their left palm. The goal is to finish with all the marbles in their left palm, with the yellow marbles surrounding the blue marble in the centre, like a flower. The opposing player would do the same, but surrounding a yellow marble with five blue marbles. Players can only manipulate the marbles by cupping, flexing and turning their open palms and fingers. A player cannot trap a marble in one finger by curling the finger over the marble, not between two fingers, and so on. Only by freely flowing the marbles around, can they complete each challenge. When a player completes the challenge successfully, they call out 'Hiyokoro!'. The player who completes the most challenges first is the winner. But the designer emphasises the benefit of play for children and for rehabilitation. The game can be played solo as the player is trying to beat each challenge. user summary