Chinese Checkers Game Rules

Object

• The object of Chinese checkers is to move all your playing pieces to your opponent's side of the board. Move your pieces out of your home base to the base of the opponent directly across from you. The first person to have all ten of her pieces in the opponent's base is the winner.

Game Play

• The game board is hexagonal with 121 holes or indentations to hold the playing pieces. Each game board comes with 60 colored marbles--six sets of 10. Each player selects a color and places his marbles in a point of the star. The game can be played by two, three, four or six players.

  The first player moves one marble out of her home base. The marbles can move diagonally to any adjacent slot. Execute turns by moving a single space or by jumping over other marbles. You can jump over any marbles, but no pieces are removed from the board. Players are not permitted to leave marbles in their home base to prevent opponents from winning. If a stubborn player refuses to move all his marbles from his home base, his opponent wins the game if he fills every empty slot in the base.

Strategy

• For your first two moves, advance the two corner marbles toward the outer edge of the star or toward the middle. It is better to keep your playing pieces toward the center of the board. You are more likely to find other pieces to jump in the middle of the board. It is also easier and faster to get to your opponent's base from the middle.

  Move your pieces in a group. It is easier to create complicated jumps when all your marbles are near each other. Instead of creating complicated jump combinations with each move, look for ways to block your opponent. Double up your marbles to make it impossible for your opponent to execute long jump sequences.