Overview
Learn how to move, jump and race your pieces across a Chinese Checkers board.
Objective
Be the first player to move all of your pieces from your starting triangle into the opposite destination triangle.
What You Need
Chinese Checkers star board and coloured pieces
Setup
Each player chooses a colour and fills the matching starting triangle with their pieces. The destination is the triangle directly opposite.
How to Play
On each turn, move one piece. You may move to an adjacent empty hole or make a jump over one adjacent piece into the empty hole directly beyond it.
Key Rules
A jumping turn may continue with additional jumps when legal. Pieces of any colour can normally be jumped, and jumped pieces are not removed.
Useful Terms
- Step: A move to an adjacent empty hole.
- Jump: A hop over one adjacent piece into the empty hole immediately beyond.
- Jump chain: Two or more legal jumps made by the same piece in one turn.
- Destination triangle: The triangle opposite your starting triangle.
Rules in More Detail
Unlike Checkers, a jump does not capture anything. The jumped piece stays exactly where it was. A player may use their own pieces or opponents’ pieces as stepping stones for jumps, and a good jump chain can move a piece across a large part of the board in one turn.
Winning the Game
The first player to occupy all spaces in their destination triangle with their own pieces wins.
Worked Example
If a neighbouring hole contains any piece and the hole directly beyond it is empty, your piece may jump over it. If another jump is then available, you may continue the chain.
Strategy Tips
- Look for long chains of jumps.
- Keep pieces close enough to help one another advance.
- Move trailing pieces before the front becomes congested.
- Avoid blocking useful landing spaces in your destination area.
Beginner Notes
Strong play is about building a route rather than racing one isolated piece. Pieces positioned about one jump apart can create a ladder that lets later pieces travel quickly.
Common Mistakes
- Removing pieces that were jumped.
- Jumping when the landing hole is occupied.
- Confusing Chinese Checkers with traditional Checkers capture rules.
Variations & House Rules
Board sizes and starting-piece counts can vary. Some groups also use rules preventing a player from deliberately leaving an opponent’s destination triangle blocked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are jumped pieces captured?
No. They remain on the board.
Can I jump my own pieces?
Yes, in common rules.
Can I make several jumps in one turn?
Yes, when each jump is legal.
Score Card
Open the CS17 fillable Chinese Checkers Game Sheet to enter player names and game results on screen, then print it or save it as a PDF.