Chinese Checkers JumpStar

The complete visual guide

How to play Chinese Checkers

Race all ten pieces across the star. A turn is either one small step or a chain of jumps - and the chains are where the game comes alive.

Play Chinese Checkers Learn strategy

The 60-second version

Four ideas are the whole game

1 Aim opposite

Move every piece into the triangle directly across the board.

2 Step once

Move to any neighboring empty hole.

3 Or keep jumping

Hop over one adjacent piece into the empty hole beyond it. Chain more hops if you can.

4 Capture nothing

Jumped pieces stay put. First to fill the opposite triangle wins.

01

Set up the race

Start opposite your goal

Each player fills one ten-hole point of the star. Your goal is always the point directly opposite your starting triangle.

Move all ten pieces into that goal before anyone else completes theirs. Chinese Checkers is a race, not a capture game: every piece stays on the board and can become a useful bridge.

2 players
Two opposite points.
3 players
Every other point.
4 players
Two opposite pairs.
6 players
Every point is filled.

Why no five-player setup? One player would not have a matching opposite starting point.

02

Take a turn

Step once or keep jumping

Choose one piece. Either move it to one neighboring empty hole, or make one or more jumps. You cannot combine a step and a jump.

A single step move A legal first move into a neighboring empty hole.
Step. Move to one adjacent empty hole. Your turn ends.
A chained jump move A three-hop move through three legal landing holes.
Jump. Cross one adjacent piece into the empty hole beyond it. Continue when another jump is available.
  • Jump either color. Your own pieces and opponents' pieces can both be bridges.
  • Change direction. Re-evaluate from every landing hole and turn as the route allows.
  • Stop when you choose. You do not have to take every available jump.
  • Capture nothing. Every piece you cross remains exactly where it was.
A real Chinese Checkers game showing a black piece making four consecutive jumps from the center into the opposite goal triangle
Real game, move 21One piece, four jumps, one turn. The black piece changes direction through a mixture of black and red bridges and lands deep inside its goal. Watch the full 93-move game.
03

Win the game

Fill the opposite triangle

The first player to place all ten pieces in their opposite goal wins.

The only awkward edge case is an opponent refusing to leave a hole in your goal. Published editions handle deliberate goal blocking differently, so agree on a house rule before a physical game. JumpStar uses a fixed anti-blocking rule so the game is decided by the race.

Quick answers

Common questions

Can you jump more than once?

Yes. A turn may contain any number of consecutive legal jumps by the same piece. Re-check the board after every landing.

Can you jump backward or sideways?

Yes. Steps and jumps may move in any of the six grid directions, even when a move temporarily travels away from your goal.

Can you jump over two pieces at once?

No under standard rules. Each hop crosses exactly one adjacent occupied hole. A spectacular long move is several individual hops chained together.

Do you remove a piece after jumping it?

No. Chinese Checkers has no captures. Every jumped piece remains exactly where it was.

Can two people play Chinese Checkers?

Yes. Put the two colors in opposite points. This is the cleanest format for learning because every route helps or hinders the same opponent.

Can you stop partway through a chain?

Yes under the standard rules used here. You may end the turn after any completed hop; you do not have to take every available jump.

Reference notes

Why is it called Chinese Checkers?

The game descends from the German game Stern-Halma, documented in 1892. The Chinese Checkers name arrived later through international marketing.

Make one move and the board will make sense.

JumpStar highlights every legal destination, so you can learn the rules by playing rather than memorizing them.

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