A six-pointed star board with orange and purple marbles hopping across it, between Pip and Gus

Chinese Checkers

Chinese Checkers is the classic race across a star-shaped board. Move your 10 marbles from your point of the star into the point opposite, stepping one hole at a time or hopping over other marbles, as many hops in a row as you can find. The first to get every marble across wins. Play with 2 to 4 players on one phone, tablet or computer, or take on computer players at four levels.

Computer level
Players
  • 2–4 players
  • 10-minute games
  • Tap a marble, then where it goes

How to play Chinese Checkers

  1. The board is a six-pointed star with 121 holes. Each player starts with 10 marbles filling one point of the star.
  2. Where you're going: the point straight across the board. With 2 players you start opposite each other, with 3 players every other point is used, and with 4 players there are two pairs of opposite points.
  3. A step: on your turn, move one marble to a neighbouring empty hole, in any of the six directions.
  4. A hop: or jump one marble over a neighbouring marble (yours or anyone's) into the empty hole right behind it. After a hop you may keep hopping with the same marble, in any direction, as long as each hop lands in an empty hole.
  5. No captures: marbles you hop over stay where they are. You can't step and hop in the same turn.
  6. Winning: the first player to fill the point opposite with their marbles wins. A rival marble that has never left that point (it's the rival's own starting point) counts as filled, so nobody can win by staying at home.

Controls

  • Move: tap one of your marbles with a yellow ring, then tap a yellow dot to move it there. Long hop chains are worked out for you: every hole you can reach this turn lights up.
  • Change your mind: tap another marble, or tap the board to put the marble down.
  • Keyboard: Tab moves between your marbles and the holes you can reach, and Enter picks one.

Each player's starting point is tinted in their colour, and the point they're racing to has a lighter tint. The bar at the top shows how many marbles each player already has home, and a dashed ring marks where the last move started and ended.

Computer levels

Computer players see the same board as you and move by the same rules. They judge each marble by how far it still is from the far tip of its target.

LevelHow it plays
EasyOften moves any marble without thinking, though rarely backwards.
MediumAlways makes the move that takes a marble furthest forward.
HardPlans two of its own moves at a time, so it looks for hops that set up more hops, and doesn't leave marbles stranded far behind.
ExpertPlans like Hard and, in a two-player game, also checks your best answer to each move it could make, so it avoids opening ladders for you.

Tips to win

  • Build ladders. Marbles spaced one hole apart in a line let you hop all the way across the board in a single turn.
  • Use your rivals' marbles. Any marble can be hopped over, so a rival's marble in the middle can launch you forward.
  • Don't leave stragglers. A marble left alone at the back has nothing to hop over and takes many turns to bring home.
  • Fill the far tip first. Marbles that reach the target should move to its far end, so they don't block the ones coming in behind.
  • Mind the middle. The centre of the star is where hops happen. Moving through it fast keeps your rivals from using your marbles.

About Chinese Checkers

Despite its name, Chinese Checkers didn't come from China, and it isn't a kind of checkers. It began in Germany in 1892 as Stern-Halma, a star-shaped version of the older game Halma, and American sellers renamed it Chinese Checkers in the late 1920s. It has been a family favourite ever since, because the rules take a minute to learn and a long chain of hops is always a thrill.

Questions

How do you win Chinese Checkers?

Be the first to move all 10 of your marbles into the point of the star opposite where they started.

Can you jump over your own marbles?

Yes. You can hop over any marble, yours or a rival's, as long as the hole on the other side is empty. Nothing gets captured.

Can you move backwards?

Yes. Steps and hops can go in any of the six directions. Sometimes a step back sets up a long chain of hops forward.

How many people can play Chinese Checkers?

From 2 to 4 here. With 2 players you start opposite each other, with 3 on every other point, and with 4 in two pairs of opposite points.

What if a rival never leaves their starting point?

Their marbles still in the point you're heading for count as filled, so you can still win by filling every other hole there.

Can I play Chinese Checkers alone?

Yes. Choose vs Computer and the number of players: the other seats are filled by computer players at the level you pick.

Is Chinese Checkers free?

Yes. It's free in your browser, with no download, no sign-up and no ads during a game.

Updated 8 November 2026