These chinese checkers rules will have your family racing marbles across the star board in a few minutes. Despite the name, the game has nothing to do with regular checkers: there is no capturing, just a race to get all of your pieces home first using clever chains of jumps. It is easy enough for young children yet still rewarding for adults, which makes it a great choice from our board games for kids list.
Quick rules
- Each player has 10 marbles in one point (triangle) of the star.
- Goal: move all 10 marbles into the point directly opposite.
- On your turn, either step one marble to an adjacent empty hole, or jump.
- A jump goes over one neighboring marble (any color) into the empty hole right behind it.
- You can chain several jumps in one turn, changing direction as you go.
- Nothing is captured; jumped marbles stay on the board.
- The first player to fill the opposite point wins.
What you need
- A six-pointed star board with 121 holes: a central hexagon plus six triangular points of 10 holes each.
- Ten marbles or pegs in each player's color. Most sets include six colors.
Setup
Each player chooses a color and fills one point of the star with their 10 marbles. Who uses which points depends on the number of players:
| Players | Starting points |
|---|---|
| 2 | Two opposite points |
| 3 | Three alternating points, so every player's target point is empty |
| 4 | Two pairs of opposite points, leaving one opposite pair empty |
| 6 | All six points |
Five players is possible but unfair, because one player has no opponent starting in their target. Choose who goes first by any method, such as the youngest player, and play continues clockwise.
How to play
Steps
- Move one of your marbles one hole in any of the six directions into an empty adjacent hole.
- A step ends your turn. You cannot step and then jump.
Jumps
- If a marble of any color sits in a hole next to yours, and the hole directly beyond it in a straight line is empty, you may jump over it into that empty hole.
- From your new hole, you may jump again if another jump is available, in any direction.
- Continue jumping as long as you like, and stop whenever you choose. Chains of jumps are the key to moving fast.
- You may only jump over one marble at a time, never over a gap or two marbles in a row.
General rules
- You must move on every turn; passing is not allowed.
- Marbles may move through any point of the star, including other players' starting and target points.
- Once a marble enters its target point it may still move around inside that point, but it may not leave it again.
- Jumped marbles are never removed.
How to win
The first player to move all 10 marbles into the opposite point wins. Many families keep playing to find second and third place.
Blocking rule: sometimes a player leaves a marble in their own starting point to block the player heading there. A common rule is that if an opponent's marble occupies a hole in your target point, you may fill all the other holes and still win as long as the remaining hole is taken by that opponent's marble.
Variations
- Two players, 15 marbles: some players use 15 marbles each, filling the point and the next row of the hexagon, for a longer game.
- Team play: with 4 or 6 players, partners sit opposite or side by side and must both finish to win.
- Fast paced (super jumps): a marble may jump over another marble from any distance along a straight line, as long as the gaps on both sides are equal and empty.
- Capture version: all marbles start in the center and jumped marbles are removed, like checkers.
Tips and strategy
- Build ladders: line up your marbles with one-hole gaps so later marbles can jump all the way across.
- Do not leave a straggler at the back. The last marble often costs the most turns.
- Use opponents' marbles as stepping stones; they are part of your ladder too.
- Move toward the center lines, which give more jumping options than the edges.
- Fill your target point from the tip first so later marbles do not get stuck outside.
Common mistakes
- Stepping and then jumping in the same turn. A step always ends your turn.
- Removing jumped marbles. In the standard game nothing is captured.
- Jumping over two marbles at once or over an empty gap.
- Setting up three players in adjacent points, which leaves some target points blocked.
Love jumping games? Try checkers or mancala, or find more ideas in board games and board games for adults.
Questions people ask
How do you play Chinese checkers with 2 players?
Each player fills one of two opposite points with 10 marbles and races them into the other player's starting point. Steps and jumps work the same as in larger games. Some players use 15 marbles each for a longer two player game.
How do you play Chinese checkers with 4 players?
Four players use two pairs of opposite points, leaving the last opposite pair empty. Each player races to the point directly across from their own. It can also be played as two teams of partners.
How do you set up a Chinese checkers board?
Each player places 10 marbles of one color in a point of the star. Two players use opposite points, three use alternating points, four use two opposite pairs, and six use all points.
Can you jump more than once in Chinese checkers?
Yes. After a jump, you may keep jumping with the same marble as long as there are legal jumps, changing direction as you go. You may stop at any point, but you cannot add a single step after jumping.
What is a good Chinese checkers strategy?
Build ladders of marbles spaced one hole apart so you can make long chains of jumps, and avoid leaving a marble behind. Use opponents' marbles as stepping stones and fill your target point from the tip.