Chinese checkers rules, plus Halma
Chinese checkers is a race. Your pieces start in one corner of a star-shaped board. You must move them all into the corner straight across. You get there faster by jumping over other pieces, often several times in one turn. Nothing is ever captured.
The game is not from China. It grew out of Halma, an American game from the 1880s played on a square board. Both boards use the same moves. This page covers the star board first, then Halma.
- Players
- 2, 3, 4 or 6
- Playing time
- 30-60 min
- Age
- 6+
- What you need
- A star board and 10 pieces per player (Halma: a 16 x 16 board)
Updated: 2 November 2026
The board and the pieces
The board is a six-pointed star with 121 spaces. On most boards they are holes for marbles or pegs, which this page calls pieces. Lines join each space to its neighbours. A space in the middle has six neighbours.
Each point of the star is a corner: a triangle of 10 spaces. Each corner has its own colour. The large hexagon between them is the middle of the board.
Each player has 10 pieces of one colour. They start on the 10 spaces of the corner of that colour. This is your start corner. The corner straight across the board is your target corner.
Setting up for 2, 3, 4 or 6 players
| Players | Start corners | Target corners |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Two opposite corners | Each other's start corner |
| 3 | Every other corner | The three empty corners |
| 4 | Two pairs of opposite corners | Each other's start corner |
| 6 | All six corners | The corner straight across |
With four players, one pair of opposite corners stays empty. With three, each player races into an empty corner, so no one's pieces are in the way at the start.
- Each player picks a colour and fills their start corner with 10 pieces.
- Draw lots or roll a die to choose who starts.
- Play then passes clockwise, one turn each.
Your turn: a step or jumps
On your turn, you move one of your pieces in one of two ways.
- A step: move the piece to a neighbouring empty space. Your turn ends there.
- Jumps: move the piece over a neighbouring piece into the empty space just beyond it. From there you may keep jumping.
You cannot mix the two. A turn is either one step or one or more jumps. You must move on your turn. You cannot pass. In the rare case that none of your pieces can move, you miss that turn.
Jumps and chains of jumps
- You jump along a line, over exactly one piece. The piece must stand next to yours, and the space right behind it must be empty.
- You may jump over any piece: your own or another player's.
- Jumps may go in any direction, backwards and sideways too.
- In a chain, the same piece makes every jump. It may change direction after each one.
- You may stop the chain whenever you like. You never have to jump.
- A chain may cross a space twice and jump the same piece again. It may not end on the space where it began, because that would be no move at all.
An example: one of your pieces stands next to another player's piece, with an empty space behind it. You jump into that space. Now your piece stands next to one of your own, again with an empty space behind it. You jump a second time. You may stop there or look for a third jump.
Jumped pieces stay where they are. There are no captures in this game. A long chain is the fastest way across the board. Lines of pieces with gaps between them work like ladders, for you and for everyone else.
Other corners and the target corner
Every space is open to every piece. Your pieces may cross other corners and stop in them, empty or not.
Once one of your pieces reaches your target corner, it stays there, even in the middle of a chain of jumps. It may still step or jump to other spaces inside that corner, but never out of it.
Blocking a corner
Your target corner is often someone's start corner. A player could leave a piece or two there for good, so that you can never fill it. Most rule sheets say nothing about this. Many tables use a simple rule against it, and so does this page.
Your target corner counts as filled when it has no empty space left and at least one of your pieces stands in it. The other spaces may hold other players' pieces. You then win, even if some of your pieces are still outside.
Blocking in the middle of the board is part of the game. You may get in other players' way, even if you have to stop a chain early to do it.
The winner
The first player to fill their target corner wins. The others may play on for second place, third place and so on, until only one player is left. Players who have finished no longer take turns. Their pieces stay on the board, and the others may still jump over them.
Halma, the original game on a square board
Halma is played on a square board of 16 by 16 squares. Each player starts in one corner and races to the corner diagonally opposite.
| Players | Pieces each | Start corner (rows from the corner) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 19 | 5, 5, 4, 3, 2 squares |
| 4 | 13 | 4, 4, 3, 2 squares |
With two players, use two opposite corners. With four, use all four corners. Some sets use 13 pieces each for two players too.
Every star-board rule applies here. Only the directions differ. On a square board, a space has eight neighbours: left and right, up and down, and four diagonals. So you can step and jump in eight directions.
Variants
Playing in pairs
With four or six players, partners sit in opposite corners. Each partner's target corner is the other's start corner. A pair wins when both partners have filled their target corners.
Two players with more pieces
Two players may each use 15 pieces instead of 10. Fill your start corner and add five pieces on the row in front of it. To win, fill the same 15 spaces on the other side: the opposite corner and the row in front of it. Another way is to give each player two or three colours. Each colour races to the corner opposite its own, and you must bring every colour across.
Long jumps
A piece may also jump over a more distant piece along a line. The jump must be symmetric: as many empty spaces after the jumped piece as before it. Every space on the way must be empty, except for the jumped piece.
Leave your start corner within 40 turns
This replaces the rule in "Blocking a corner". Every player must take all their pieces out of their start corner within their first 40 turns. A player who still has a piece there after their 40th turn loses.
Pass through other corners only
A piece may jump through a corner that is neither its start corner nor its target corner. It may not end its turn there.
Frequent questions
How do you play Chinese checkers?
Each player starts with 10 pieces in one corner of a star. On your turn you move one piece: one step to a neighbouring empty space, or a chain of jumps over other pieces. The first player to fill the opposite corner wins.
Are Chinese checkers and Halma the same game?
Almost. Halma is the older game on a square board. Chinese checkers moved the same idea onto a star, so three or six people can play. The moves are the same on both boards. In Poland both are often called halma, and the star game is also called trylma.
How many pieces does each player get?
Ten on the star board, whatever the number of players. Two players may agree to use 15 each. On the square Halma board, it is 19 each for two players and 13 each for four.
Who goes first?
Draw lots or roll a die. Going first is an advantage, so take turns starting when you play several games. Play then passes clockwise.
Can you jump backwards in Chinese checkers?
Yes. Steps and jumps may go in any direction, backwards too. A backwards jump is often worth it when it sets up a long chain later. The only limit is your target corner: a piece that has arrived stays inside it.
Can you jump over your own pieces?
Yes. You may jump over any piece, yours or another player's. Building ladders out of your own pieces is the main way to cross the board quickly.
Do you capture pieces you jump over?
No. Jumped pieces stay on the board, and nothing is ever removed. The game is a race, not a fight.
Can you step and then jump in the same turn?
No. A turn is either one step or a chain of jumps. After a step your turn is over. You also cannot jump first and then step.
Do you have to jump, or keep jumping?
No. Jumping is never compulsory. You may stop a chain after any jump, for example to block someone. A few rule sheets say you must jump as far as you can. Most players do not play that way.
How do you play Chinese checkers with two players?
Use two opposite corners, with 10 pieces each. Each player races into the other's start corner. For a longer game, use 15 pieces or two or three colours each. See the variant "Two players with more pieces".
How do you set up for four players?
Use two pairs of opposite corners and leave the last pair empty. Each player races into the start corner of the player opposite. You can also play in pairs, with partners in opposite corners. On the square Halma board, four players use the four corners with 13 pieces each.
Can five people play?
The rules are made for 2, 3, 4 or 6 players. With five, one player would race into an empty corner and nobody would block them. That is unfair, so play with four or six instead.
Can you stop in another player's triangle?
Yes. In the basic rules, every space is open to every piece. Some tables only let you jump through corners that are not yours. See the variant "Pass through other corners only".
Can a piece leave its target triangle again?
No. Once a piece reaches its target corner, it moves only inside that corner. Some rule sheets let pieces move out again, but most do not.
What if someone keeps pieces in my target triangle?
They cannot stop you that way. Your target corner counts as filled when it has no empty space left and at least one of your pieces is in it. Other players' pieces may hold the rest. So you win once your pieces fill every other space. See "Blocking a corner".
Who wins, and does the game go on?
The first player to fill their target corner wins. The others can play on for the remaining places. When you play in pairs, the first pair with both corners filled wins.
Log your plays
Save the plays of every game you play. See who wins most often and what you play the most.