Overview

Chinese Checkers is a classic abstract strategy game played on a star-shaped board with six points. Players race to move all of their marbles from their starting point to the opposite point of the star. Despite its name, the game originated in Germany and is based on the older game Halma. Movement consists of single steps or chains of jumps over adjacent marbles.

Components

• 1 star-shaped Chinese Checkers board (6-pointed star with holes)
• 6 sets of 10 glass marbles (60 total, 10 of each color)
• Rules sheet

Setup

1. Each player chooses a colored set of marbles matching a star point.
2. Place all 10 marbles of your color in the holes of your chosen star point.
3. Player configurations:
   • 2 players: Sit directly opposite each other, each controlling 1 set. Optionally, each player can control 2 or 3 sets.
   • 3 players: Each controls 1 set (move to opposite empty point) or 2 sets (set up on opposite sides, move each to its opposite point).
   • 4 players: Two players across from two others. The remaining two opposite star points are left empty.
   • 5 players: One player (beginner/youngest) has an empty star point across from them, giving an advantage.
   • 6 players: Each player controls 1 set, moves to the opposite star point.

Turn Structure

On your turn, move one marble according to the movement rules. After moving, your turn ends. Play passes to the left.

Actions

Single Step Move: Move one marble to any adjacent empty hole following a line on the board. A marble can move in any of the 6 directions along the lines.

Jump Move: Jump over one adjacent marble (your own or an opponent’s) along a straight line to land in an empty hole immediately beyond it. Key rules:

• You may jump over your own marbles or opponents’ marbles.
• Jumped marbles are NEVER removed from the board.
• You may make consecutive jumps in a single turn, changing direction between jumps.
• Each individual jump must be along a straight line – you cannot change direction mid-jump.
• You may NOT combine a single step move with jumps in the same turn.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The first player to move all 10 of their marbles into each of the 10 holes of the opposite star point wins the game.

Multi-round variant: Play multiple agreed-upon rounds. The winner of each round receives 10 points. All other players receive 1 point per marble in their opposite star point when the round ends. The player with the highest cumulative point total wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• You must choose either a single step move OR a series of jumps on your turn, not both.
• Jumps are optional – you are never forced to jump even if a jump is available.
• A chain of jumps can go in different directions (each individual jump must be straight, but the chain can zigzag).
• You cannot jump over two marbles in a row without landing in between.
• Marbles can only move along the lines printed on the board.

Player Reference

Turn: Move 1 marble – either step to adjacent hole OR chain of jumps.

Move Type	Rules
Step	Move to 1 adjacent empty hole in any direction
Jump	Hop over 1 adjacent marble to empty hole beyond; may chain multiple jumps

Player Count Setup:

Players	Configuration
2	Opposite points; optionally control 2-3 sets each
3	Every other point (1 set) or opposite sides (2 sets)
4	Two pairs facing each other; 2 points empty
5	One player gets empty opposite point (advantage)
6	All 6 points filled

Win: First to fill all 10 holes in opposite star point.