Chinese Checkers Rules - How to Play
Race ten marbles across the star. This board supports two players, six-direction movement, and turnable hop chains without captures.
Board, camps, and goal
This version is a two-player race on a six-pointed star. Red begins with ten marbles in the top triangular camp; Blue begins with ten in the bottom camp, and Red takes the first turn. The side camps are empty and are simply part of the route network. You do not win by getting one leader across the board. After a move, the game checks whether all ten of your marbles occupy the opposite ten-hole camp. Red must fill the bottom camp and Blue must fill the top camp. That complete transfer, rather than captures or material, is the only winning condition.
One marble per turn
Choose one of your own marbles each turn. It may take a one-hole step to an empty neighboring hole, or it may make a jump sequence. The star is built from a hexagonal grid, so each hole has up to six neighboring directions. A normal step is only one link long and ends the turn at once. You cannot move two marbles in one turn, take a step before or after jumping, or switch marbles midway through a sequence. A short step can still be legal and useful when it opens a landing square or turns a rear marble into a future bridge.
How a single jump works
For one jump, a marble goes straight over exactly one occupied adjacent hole and lands in the immediately following empty hole. The jumped marble may be red or blue; color does not matter because Chinese Checkers has no captures. The middle marble stays on the board and can be used again as a springboard by either player. The landing hole must exist on the star and be empty. You cannot jump over an empty hole, skip over two marbles, or land on an occupied hole. Crowded areas therefore create opportunities as well as traffic, because every occupied hole can become a bridge.
Turning hop chains
After a legal jump, the same marble may continue with another legal jump. Each individual hop remains a straight two-hole move, but the direction may change after every landing. A chain can therefore bend across the center instead of following one long line. The engine lets you finish at any legal landing in that chain; taking every available continuation is not compulsory. A moving marble may not revisit a hole it already landed on during the same sequence, which prevents looping paths. Once you choose the final landing, the turn ends and the other player moves.
What the rules do not allow
There are no captures, forced jumps, kings, dice, or blocking wins. A marble can travel through any part of the star as long as each step or jump is legal; the important destination is the camp opposite its starting camp. You may jump your own marbles and your opponent's marbles, but neither is removed. Because the target has exactly ten holes, placing a marble there early does not itself freeze the game or score a point. Keep routes into the camp available until every marble arrives. If all ten target holes contain your color after your move, you win immediately.
Rules FAQ
- Do jumped marbles get captured?
- No. A jumped marble remains where it is and may support later jumps for either side.
- Must I take every jump in a chain?
- No. You may stop at any legal landing reached by the same marble.
- Can a hop chain turn?
- Yes. Every hop is straight, but the next hop may use a different one of the six directions.
- Can I jump over my own marble?
- Yes. Any adjacent occupied hole can be the middle of a jump if the hole beyond it is empty.
- How do I win?
- Move all ten of your marbles into the opposite triangular camp; one marble reaching it is not enough.
Practice on the live board
Open a game and select a marble near a compact group. First compare a one-step move with a turning chain, then stop a chain early once to see which bridge remains for your next marble.