Play Halma Online Free

About Halma

Halma is the original hop-race: a 16×16 square board, nineteen pieces a side, and opposite corner camps. Invented in the 1880s, it is the ancestor of Chinese checkers — same no-capture hopping spirit, but on a lattice that rewards long diagonal chains.

This board lights every legal landing when you pick a piece, including multi-jump routes. Race four AI levels, share a device, or open an online room and hop against a friend through an invite link.

How to play Halma

Each player starts with nineteen pieces in one corner. Move all nineteen into the opposite corner first to win.

1. On your turn, either step one piece to an adjacent empty square (including diagonally), or jump over an adjacent piece into the empty square immediately beyond.
2. Jumps can chain: after one hop, the same piece may keep hopping as long as legal jumps exist.
3. Nothing is ever captured — jumped pieces stay put. The game is a pure race.
4. Red starts in the north-west corner and races toward the south-east; Blue does the reverse.
5. First player to fill the opposite corner camp with all nineteen pieces wins.

Halma strategy tips

• Build ladders: leave pieces at hopping intervals so followers ride the same chain.
• Move as a pack — a lone runner with nothing to hop over crawls one square at a time.
• Use your opponent's pieces as springboards; the best chains bounce through their yard.
• Clear your home corner early; late stragglers decide more races than flashy leaders.
• Before ending a chain, scan again — highlighted landings often extend further than your first read.

Halma FAQ

Do jumped pieces get captured?

No. Jumping is only for movement, and every piece stays on the board for the whole game. Halma is a race, not a capture fight like English draughts.

How is Halma different from Chinese checkers?

Same hop-and-chain idea, different board. Halma uses a 16×16 square with corner camps of nineteen; Chinese checkers uses a star with ten marbles per tip. Both forbid captures.

Can I jump diagonally?

Yes. Steps and jumps may use any of the eight neighboring directions, as long as a jump lands in the empty square immediately beyond an adjacent piece.

Can I play Halma online with a friend?

Yes. Open a room from this page and share the link — both of you race on the same live board from any browser, with hop chains animating in real time and no accounts required.

Games like Halma

Chinese CheckersThe star-shaped hop race descended from Halma.CheckersJumps that capture — the combative cousin.LudoA race with dice drama instead of hop skill.