a piece may be moved to an adjacent playing space. A player takes his turn by moving one of his pieces in one of the following ways: (i). Play then moves clockwise around the board.ĥ. Players decide, at random or by agreement, who takes the first turn. Six players occupy every point of the star.Ĥ. When two play, they start opposite one another three players occupy alternate points of the star so that no player starts directly opposite another four players occupy positions in which each player is opposite another. Each player starts with ten pieces, arranged in one of the points of the star.ģ. Chinese checkers is played on a star-shaped board, of 121 points.Ģ. As the game is neither a variant of checkers nor is it Chinese, this is a fine example of the irony of commercial marketing! In the United States this game became Chinese checkers. This had a star-shaped board, rather than the square board of halma, but the rules were largely unchanged. In 1892 another variant was published in Germany, called Stern-Halma. In 1948 a variant called grasshopper was published, allowing play with a standard draughts set. An 18th century gaming board marked out like a halma board suggests it may have earlier origins, but it was not until the 1880s that it was published and came to the attention of the wider world. The game of halma, whose name means 'jump' in Greek, is an entertaining product of the Victorian era. History of Halma, Grasshopper and Chinese Checkers

It is in the construction of long 'ladders' of pieces that may be jumped that a player gets ahead in the game. Pieces move to adjacent spaces, but may also jump over one another like in draughts (though without capturing). Players race their pieces from their starting positions, across the board to the opposite end. Unlike most race games, performance is dictated completely by skill rather than any luck element.

Chinese checkers, made by Jaques of London.Ĭhinese checkers is a race game for two, three, four or six players.

Chinese checkers rules jumping