Chinese Checkers rules
Chinese Checkers Rules: How to Move, Jump and Win
Chinese Checkers is a race, not a capture game. Move all ten of your pieces from your starting triangle into the triangle directly opposite it before anyone else.
Rules at a glance
- Each player starts with ten pieces in one point of the star.
- Your target is the triangle directly opposite your starting triangle.
- On a turn, move one piece by one adjacent step or by a legal jump sequence.
- A jump crosses one occupied neighbouring hole and lands in the empty hole immediately beyond it.
- You may chain several legal jumps with the same piece in one turn.
- Pieces are never captured or removed.
- The first player to move all ten pieces into the opposite target triangle wins.
How a normal step works
A step moves one piece into an adjacent empty hole. The star board is built from a triangular grid, so pieces can move along the six directions formed by that grid rather than only up, down, left, and right.
If the neighbouring hole is occupied, you cannot step into it. That occupied piece may instead become something you can jump over.
How jumping works
To jump, there must be an occupied hole directly next to your piece and an empty hole immediately beyond it in the same line. The piece in the middle may belong to you or another player. You jump over it and leave it exactly where it is.
Jump anatomy
One occupied hole becomes your bridge
Your piece is directly beside an occupied hole.
The middle piece can belong to anyone and stays in place.
The hole immediately beyond must be empty.
Can you make multiple jumps in one turn?
Yes. After your first jump, if the same piece has another legal jump available from its new location, you can continue. A well-built chain can carry one piece across a large part of the board in a single turn.
This is the defining movement skill in Chinese Checkers. Strong players spend less time asking “what can this piece jump now?” and more time arranging pieces so useful jump routes will exist on future turns.
Can you jump an opponent's piece?
Yes. Any occupied piece can serve as the middle piece of a legal jump. Unlike regular Checkers, jumping does not capture it. Opponents can therefore become useful stepping stones as the center of the board fills up.
What moves are illegal?
- Landing on an occupied hole.
- Jumping over an empty hole.
- Jumping when the landing hole immediately beyond the crossed piece is occupied.
- Moving more than one piece during the same turn.
- Removing or capturing a piece after a jump.
How do you win Chinese Checkers?
You win by getting all ten of your pieces into your target triangle, the point of the star opposite where you began. Because every piece must finish the journey, leaving one piece trapped at the back can cost more time than advancing a front runner quickly.
Rules beginners often confuse with Checkers
| Chinese Checkers | Regular Checkers |
|---|---|
| Race all pieces across the board | Capture or immobilize the opponent |
| Jumps do not capture | Jumps normally capture |
| Star-shaped triangular grid | Square 8×8 board |
| Up to six players | Usually two players |
Try the rules on a real board
The online board highlights legal destinations, so it is an easy way to see the difference between a single step and a chained jump.
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