Board games
Chinese Checkers
- players
- 2–6
- minutes
- 30
- years
- 7+
In the box
1 six-pointed star board · 60 pegs or marbles, 10 per colour
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- EnclosureGrid MovementPoint-to-Point MovementRaceTeam-Based
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
Affiliate link: Marquoir may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
The basics
Each player must get all their pegs across the star to fill the point opposite their start. On your turn, move a single peg: either one step to a neighbouring empty space, or a series of jumps over a neighbouring peg, of any colour, to the empty space just beyond; you never mix steps and jumps, and nobody is captured. The first to settle all their pegs in their destination point wins the round: they score 1, the others 0, and you play as many rounds as you like.
Traditional rules, checked against reference sources · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
121-space star, 2, 3, 4 or 6 players, 10 pegs each
- A six-pointed star board with 121 holes or spaces: a hexagon in the centre and six points of ten spaces.
- For 2, 3, 4 or 6 players, never five. Each player has ten pegs, set out in their point; with two or three players, you can take fifteen, as in the Noris box, made for two or three players.
- With two, use opposite points; with three, every other point, so that each player heads for an empty point; with four, two pairs of opposite points.
- Players take turns, clockwise.
How to play
1 step or jumps, Chained jumps, No captures
- On your turn, move a single peg: either one step to a neighbouring empty space, in any of the six directions, or by a series of jumps.
- A jump goes over a neighbouring peg, of any colour, to land on the empty space just beyond it, in a straight line.
- Jumps can be chained in the same turn, changing direction if you like, and you can stop whenever you want. You never mix a step and jumps.
- No peg is ever captured: the one you jump over stays where it is.
Scoring
No points, Rounds won
- No points: count the rounds won.
- In Marquoir, enter 1 for the player who filled their destination point first, 0 for the others; the game ends when you decide.
- In Marquoir, the counter accepts two to six players, five included: it cannot leave out a number in the middle. It is up to the table not to start a five-player game.
End of the game
Opposite point filled
- The first to settle all their pegs in the point opposite their start wins the round.
- The others often play on to decide the places.
House rules and pitfalls
A traditional game, with no single reference rulebook.
- A traditional game, with no single reference rulebook. This page follows both Wikipedias and the Noris rules: a step, or jumps over a neighbouring peg, with no capture; ten pegs, fifteen with two or three players.
- With six, you can play in three teams of two, partners facing each other: the first team to fill both its points wins.
- To prevent blocking, French Wikipedia adds some rules: you may not block another player or stop in a point that is neither your start nor your destination, which you may only jump through, and you must clear your starting point when the player opposite has no other move to progress. The Noris rules, by contrast, let you jump into other players’ points and stop there.
- Fast variant, given by both Wikipedias: you may jump over a distant peg, provided you land the same distance beyond it, every space crossed being empty.
- Leaving a peg behind is the classic mistake: alone at the back, it has no ladder to jump along and must move space by space.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
How many pegs per player in Chinese checkers?
Ten, as many as there are spaces in one point of the board. With two or three players, you can take fifteen: that is the case in the Noris box, designed for two or three players.
Can you combine a step and jumps?
No: a turn is either a single step or a series of jumps. The jumps, though, can be chained as far as the position allows, and you can stop part way.
Why can’t five people play?
Because the players are spread symmetrically around the star: with five, one of them would have nobody opposite, and the game would be unbalanced. So you play with two, three, four or six. Marquoir's counter does not refuse a five-player game: it is up to you to avoid it.
How do you record a game in the counter?
At the end of each round, enter 1 for the player who filled their destination point first and 0 for the others. The counter adds up the rounds won; stop the game whenever you like.