Other times players will construct blockades to keep opponents from jumping at all. Sometimes players string pieces across the board to make it possible to jump all the way to your target. StrategiesĮach player attempts to move pieces into the opposing star point and prevent opponents or other players from doing the same. The player who moves all ten pieces into the opposite point of the star is the game winner. Pieces may move into and out of any of the star points not in use or belonging to a non-opponent. When a player’s piece moves into the opposite point of the star, it may not leave, but can be moved within the star. Jumped pieces are not removed from the board. A player may jump as many pieces as are available – the player’s turn ends when there are no more pieces to jump. If not jumping, only one space per move is permitted. There must be an open space on the other side of the piece you are jumping. Pieces can jump other pieces occupying adjacent spaces, including the pieces of the player taking a turn. A player moves one piece one space in any direction. The rules of the game say that a coin toss decides who begins, but the players can decide by themselves. Four players use 13 pieces, placed in each corner. When there are 2 players, 19 marbles are put into opposite corners, stacked evenly. When playing three people, leave a star point between each person, and it’s a free-for-all. Each player must have an opponent opposite, so there can only be two, three, four, or six players. Choose ten marbles of one color and place them all on the star point that matches the color of the marbles. The board’s hexagonal interior has five holes on each side. Each triangular star point has ten holes (four holes per side) for a player’s pieces. The six-pointed star board has small dimples or holes, for marbles and pegs, respectively. The game is a mixture of chess, checkers, and Othello, and can have two, three, four, or six players at a time. Chinese Checkers is still called Halma in many European counties. It soon became Chinese Checkers, reflecting the American interest in all things Oriental after the introduction of Mah Jongg and the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. Chinese Checkers was first released in 1928, and was named Hop Ching Checkers. Halma followed the rules of Chinese checkers, but was played on a square board. Another thinks is it a descendent of a German-American game call Stern-Halma. One group thinks it comes from a British game called “hoppity”. It is played with pieces (either marbles or pegs) on a six-pointed star board with holes or dimples for the pieces. Chinese checkers is neither Chinese nor checkers.

Stern halma game