Chinese Checkers
Step and jump your ten marbles across the star into the opposite point before the computer fills yours. A chain of jumps can carry a marble a long way in one move.
How to play Chinese Checkers
How to play
Tap one of your blue marbles, then a marked hole, or drag the marble there. A marble steps to a neighbouring empty hole, or jumps over one neighbouring marble of any colour into the empty hole right behind it. Jumps can chain in any direction in one move, and nothing is captured. Point at a marked hole, or drag over it, to see the jump route. With a keyboard, use the arrow keys and Enter.
Winning
Be the first to fill the point opposite your start, marked with a dashed blue outline. The number next to each player counts their marbles already home. Blocking doesn’t pay: from the 30th move each, marbles left in someone’s target point no longer block it, and that player wins once every other hole there is theirs.
Levels
Easy looks one move ahead and makes mistakes. Medium looks three moves ahead: its move, your reply and its next move. Hard searches deeper for both sides, within about a fifth of a second. In Three players you race two computer players, Pink and Green, who start in the upper points and plan three of their own moves ahead. Against one computer you can let it open with Play second.
Questions
How do you jump in Chinese checkers?
Jump over a single marble next to yours, of any colour, into the empty hole directly behind it. From there you may keep jumping in any direction, as long as each jump goes over one marble into an empty hole. A step can’t be combined with jumps, and jumped marbles stay on the board.
How many marbles does each player have?
Ten, filling one point of the star in rows of 4, 3, 2 and 1. The board has 121 holes. Two players start in opposite points. With three players, everyone starts in every other point, so each target point starts empty.
What if another player’s marble stays in my target point?
From the 30th move each, it no longer blocks you: you win as soon as every other hole in your target point holds one of your marbles. The same rule works against you, so bring your back marbles out of your start point in time.
What is a good strategy?
Keep your marbles close together so they can jump over one another, and look for long chains towards your target. Don’t leave one marble stranded at the back, and fill the deep holes at the tip of your target first so later marbles have room.
Is Chinese checkers really from China?
No. It is usually traced to Germany in the 1890s, where it appeared as Stern-Halma, a star-shaped version of the older game Halma. The name Chinese checkers was given later in the United States.