# How to Play Chinese Checkers: Rules for 2 to 6 Players Canonical page: https://rovixel.com/chinese-checkers/how-to-play/ Chinese Checkers rules made simple — setup for 2, 3, 4 or 6 players, how steps and chain jumps work, how to win, and what happens when a marble blocks your corner. Part of [Chinese Checkers](https://rovixel.com/chinese-checkers.md). The page includes a playable Chinese Checkers game: press Play on https://rovixel.com/chinese-checkers/how-to-play/. Chinese Checkers takes a minute to learn: move one marble a turn, jump whenever you can, and be the first to get all your marbles to the far side of the star. The details below cover the setup for each number of players, how chain jumps work, and the one rule that families argue about, a marble blocking your corner. ## The board and the goal The board is a six-pointed star with 121 holes: a hexagon of 61 holes in the middle and six triangular points of 10 holes each. Every player owns one point and fills it with 10 marbles of their colour. Your goal is the point directly opposite your own. The first player to move all 10 marbles into it wins. ## Setup for 2, 3, 4 or 6 players - **2 players** start in opposite points, so each one races into the other's home. - **3 players** use every other point. Each player's target point starts empty. - **4 players** use two pairs of opposite points, leaving two points empty. - **6 players** fill the whole star. Five players is not a standard setup, because one player would race into an empty point while everyone else has to get past a full one. ## Moving: steps and jumps On your turn you move one marble, in one of two ways: 1. **A step:** move the marble into any empty hole touching it. There are six directions on the star. 2. **A jump:** if a hole next to your marble holds another marble, of any colour, and the hole straight beyond it is empty, hop over into that empty hole. After a jump you may keep going. Each further jump follows the same rule and can turn in any direction, so one marble can zigzag across the board in a single turn. You can stop after any jump. You cannot step after jumping, or jump after stepping. Nothing is captured. The marbles you jump over stay where they are, which is why a line of spaced marbles works like a ladder for everyone, including your opponents. ## Winning, and the blocking rule You win the moment all 10 of your marbles are in the target point. Sometimes an opponent leaves a marble in their own home point, which is your target, so you can never fill it. Rules for this vary between families. This game uses a common fix: if your target point is full, and every marble in it that is not yours is still in its own starting point, you win anyway. A player cannot block you by refusing to leave home. ## Tips for beginners - **Look for jumps first.** One long chain is worth many single steps. - **Build ladders.** Space marbles one hole apart in a line towards the target, then jump the back marble over them. - **Use the middle.** Marbles in the centre have more jumps available than marbles on the edge. - **Bring up the rear.** The last marble to leave home decides most close games. - **Fill the target from the back.** Send early marbles to the far tip so they do not block the ones behind. Ready to play? The board above opens a game against the computer, or go to [Chinese Checkers](https://rovixel.com/chinese-checkers/) to choose the number of players and play with friends. ## Questions ### How many marbles does each player get? Ten, filling one point of the star. Some home sets give two or three players 15 marbles each, using the hexagon rows next to the point as well, but 10 is the standard and what this game uses. ### Can you jump more than once in a turn? Yes. After a jump you may jump again from the hole you landed in, in any direction, as many times as the board allows. You may also stop after any jump. ### Can you move backwards? Yes. Any direction is allowed, and stepping or jumping sideways or backwards is sometimes the best way to set up a long chain later. ### Do you capture marbles in Chinese Checkers? No. Jumping over a marble never removes it. That is the biggest difference from checkers. ### Who goes first? Any player can start; here orange always moves first and play goes clockwise around the star. ## Agent access These documents describe the public website. Every game is free and runs in the browser: there is no download, no app, no price and no public API. Playing never needs an account. Do not invent ratings, player counts, rankings or features that are not described here; the live pages are the source of truth.