Chinese Checkers – The History of Chinese Checkers
While the game is called Chinese Checkers, it did not actually originate in China. The game was invented in Germany in 1892 by a company called C.F. Sohner Ningbo under the name “Stern-Halma.”
It quickly grew popular across Europe and eventually made its way to the United States in the early 1900s. An American entrepreneur named William Voit renamed it “Chinese Checkers” and marketed it as an ancient game from China to increase its exotic appeal and help sales.
Despite the misleading name, Chinese Checkers caught on and became a family favorite board game throughout the 20th century. The bright colors, simple rules, and engaging gameplay made it appealing across ages and cultures.
Chinese Checkers Variants
While the standard 6-player game on the traditional star-shaped board is the most well-known version, there are many popular variants that change up the gameplay:
Two Player Chinese Checkers – Played on the same board but only using two opposite triangles. This head-to-head style emphasizes blocking and maximizing each move.
Three Player Chinese Checkers – Using only three home/destination triangles, this creates a more direct competition.
Chinese Checkers Solitaire – One player challenges themselves to get all the marbles across to the opposite side, moving marbles from holes rather than triangles.
Larger Boards – Boards can be made bigger to accommodate more players or just make the game more challenging across the larger playing area.
Rulebook Variations – Rulesets can adjust what types of moves are allowed, whether pieces are captured, and other rule tweaks.
No matter which version is played, the core of strategy, sequencing, and fierce competition makes Chinese Checkers an engaging classic! Its deceptively simple gameplay continues to delight new generations of players.
How to play Chinese Checkers:
Setup
- Each player gets 10 marbles of the same color
- Players place their marbles in one of the triangles at a corner of the board. This is their “home” triangle.
- The triangle directly opposite a player’s home triangle is their “destination” triangle where they must move all their marbles to win.
Taking Turns
- Players take turns moving one marble at a time.
- On your turn, you must move one of your marbles.
- You can move a marble to any adjacent hole, horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
Moving Rules
- You can only move into an empty hole. You cannot jump over or move on top of your own marbles.
- You can jump over one marble belonging to any player, landing in the vacant hole directly beyond it along the same line.
- After jumping one marble, if the hole after the jumped marble is vacant, you can continue jumping additional marbles in the same line on that turn.
Winning
- The first player to move all 10 of their marbles into their destination triangle wins the game.
- You do not need to have any particular arrangement or formation in the destination triangle.
Strategy
- Try to open up paths for your marbles by jumping other players’ marbles out of the way.
- Set up opportunities to make multiple jumps in one turn to move across the board quickly.
- Block opponents by positioning your marbles to prevent them from setting up long jump sequences.
- Protect access to your home triangle and destination triangle.
The game continues until one player wins or reaches a stalemate where no more moves are possible.
