Funskool's Chinese Checkers (item 9416000), the set our link goes toPhoto: Funskool
What's in the box: the star board and 60 marblesPhoto: Funskool
Ten marbles to a colourPhoto: Funskool
Chinese checkers at a games tablePhoto: Achim Raschka, CC BY-SA 4.0
A wooden board with pegs instead of marblesPhoto: Mzelle Laure (assumed author), CC BY 2.5
Some sets use pawns instead of marblesPhoto: Jeroencommons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Funskool's Classic Chinese Checkers, our other good setPhoto: Funskool
Video

Traditional game

Chinese Checkers

Hop all ten marbles across the star before anyone else

2–6players · best with 2-4
10–30 minplaying time
6+recommended age
Learning curve
Very easy1 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
Pure skill, no luck
LuckSkill
Interaction
Medium
Set-up
About 2 min
Reading
None

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Family get-togethers where up to six people want to play at once, or three teams of two

Think twice if There is a toddler at home: the 60 marbles are small parts and roll everywhere

How we rate it

Learning curve. One kind of step and one kind of jump, nothing captured: children pick it up in a couple of turns. The skill lies in spotting long chains of jumps and building ladders, which keeps adults interested.

Luck & skill. No dice and no cards: every move is chosen. With many players, other people's moves open and close your paths, which can feel like luck but isn't.

Interaction. Nothing is captured, but you use everyone's marbles as stepping stones, and players block the centre or each other's home points.

Set-up. Drop ten marbles into your point of the star; with six players the board is ready in about two minutes.

Reading. Nothing to read during play; the rules sheet is in English and is easy to teach by example.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

Another good set: Funskool Classic Chinese Checkers

Is Chinese Checkers right for you?

Great if

  • Family get-togethers where up to six people want to play at once, or three teams of two
  • Children from about 6 who are ready to plan a move or two ahead but not yet ready for chess
  • Grandparents and grandchildren playing on equal terms: no dice, no cards and nothing to read
  • A Diwali or birthday present that needs no batteries and no screen

Skip it if

  • There is a toddler at home: the 60 marbles are small parts and roll everywhere
  • You want lots of head-to-head conflict: nothing is ever captured, so it's gentler than checkers or Ludo
  • You usually have exactly five players: the star doesn't split fairly between five

How Chinese Checkers plays

Despite the name, Chinese checkers didn't come from China and isn't a kind of checkers. It began in Germany in 1892 as Stern-Halma ('star Halma'), a star-shaped version of Halma, a square-board jumping game invented in 1883 or 1884 by the American surgeon George Howard Monks. The name 'Chinese checkers' was American marketing: the Pressman company brought it out in 1928 as 'Hop Ching Checkers'. In China itself the game is called tiaoqi, which simply means 'jumping game'.

  • Time to teach: about 2 minutes.
  • Reading and language: Nothing to read while you play. Funskool's rules sheet is in English, but the whole game can be taught by showing one step and one jump, so it works across languages and for children who can't read yet.
Some sets use pawns instead of marbles · Photo: Jeroencommons, CC BY-SA 3.0

How to Play Chinese Checkers · Triple S Games

Choose a video · Watch right here

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Set

    Fill one point of the star with your ten marbles; with two or four players, use opposite points.

  2. 2
    Move

    Move one marble: either one step into a next-door empty hole, or a chain of hops over single marbles into empty holes beyond.

  3. 3
    Ladder

    Line up marbles with gaps between them so one marble can hop across half the board in a single turn.

  4. 4
    Win

    Be the first to fill all ten holes of the point opposite your start.

Read the rules (PDF)Chinese Checkers instructions · English
The full explanation: how a game of Chinese Checkers goes

The board is a six-pointed star with 121 holes. Each player takes the ten marbles of one colour and fills one point of the star. With two or four players, use points directly opposite each other; with three, use every other point, so each player races into an empty point; with six, fill every point. Five players is awkward because one person would be racing into an empty point while the others race into occupied ones, so most families stick to 2, 3, 4 or 6.

On your turn you move one marble, in one of two ways. Either step it into a neighbouring empty hole, or jump: hop over one marble right next to it, your own or anyone else's, into the empty hole directly beyond, in a straight line. After a jump you may keep jumping with the same marble, changing direction between hops, as long as every hop lands in an empty hole. You can't mix a step and a jump in one turn, and nothing is ever captured: marbles you jump over stay where they are. Turns pass to the left.

The first player to fill all ten holes of the opposite point wins, and the others can play on for second and third place. Funskool's box suggests 10 to 15 minutes; with six players and a crowded centre, allow longer. The key skill is building 'ladders', lines of marbles with gaps between them that let one marble hop half the board in a single turn, while remembering that your rivals can use your ladders too. Clear your starting point early, and don't leave a lone marble behind at the end.

Agree house rules before the first move, because rule sheets differ. Can a marble rest in an unused point, or only hop through it? May a marble that has reached home move out again (most rules say no)? What happens if someone leaves a marble in your target point to block you? Funskool's sheet adds a scoring version for a series of games: the winner scores 10 points and everyone else scores one point for each marble already home. Some families play 'Super Chinese checkers', where a marble may jump over a distant marble as long as it lands the same distance beyond it, which makes the game much faster.

What's in the box

What's in the box: the star board and 60 marbles · Photo: Funskool
  • 1Star game board
    printed cardboard, six-pointed star for up to six players; push out the small punched circles from the holes before the first game
  • 60Marbles
    10 each of 6 colours
  • 1Rules sheet
    English, one page, with a points-scoring variation

Box: 34 × 31.5 cm, 0.437 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

From the contents panel on the box back in Funskool's own photo (gameboard, 60 marbles in six colours, instructions) and Funskool's rules sheet, which asks you to remove the circles from the board's holes first. Funskool's Classic Chinese Checkers, the other good set we show, also has 60 marbles but comes with a wooden-finish board and a rules booklet.

Where to buy

Check price on Amazon.in

Another good set

Funskool Classic Chinese Checkers

Funskool's Classic edition: a star board with a wooden finish, 60 marbles (10 in each of six colours) and a rules booklet, for 2 to 6 players aged 6 and up.

Good for: families who want a smarter-looking board with a wooden finish that lasts for years

Check price on Amazon.in
How to pick a good setSize, pieces and the details worth checking.

Choosing a set

Nobody owns Chinese checkers, so pick a well-made set rather than a brand, and there's no reason to import one. Our main Amazon.in link goes to Funskool's Chinese Checkers (item 9416000), made in India by the Chennai toy company: a six-player cardboard star board with 60 marbles. If you'd like something that looks smarter on the shelf, Funskool's Classic Chinese Checkers, shown below as another good set, has a board with a wooden finish.

Before you choose

  • Count the marbles: a full six-player set has 60, ten in each of six colours that are easy to tell apart (two similar blues or greens cause arguments). Our main Amazon.in link goes to Funskool's set, which has exactly 60, so keep the box for storing them.
  • Check the board: a standard star has 121 holes, with each point coloured to match one set of marbles so children can find their home. Holes should be deep, round cups so marbles don't roll out when someone nudges the table.
  • Cardboard or wood: cardboard boards like Funskool's main set are light and fold away; on Funskool's, you push out the small punched circles from the holes before the first game. Wooden or wooden-finish boards, like Funskool's Classic set, are heavier, sit steadier and last longer.
  • Size matters with six players: a board around 30 cm or more across leaves room for twelve hands. Travel boards are fine for two or three but crowded for a full table.
  • Look for the ISI mark: toys sold in India must carry it with a BIS licence number. Funskool's box back shows the IS 9873 toy-safety standard and a BIS certification line.
  • Marbles are a choking hazard: Funskool's box warns it is not suitable for children under 3 (36 months). Keep the set away from toddlers and younger siblings, and count the marbles back into the box after each game.
  • Storage: a box with a tray or a small bag for the marbles stops them from scattering and getting lost.

What reviewers and players say

Chinese checkers is valued as a family game that anyone can learn in a couple of turns but that still rewards planning: chaining hops across the star is the heart of it, and Wikipedia notes that games between top players are rarely decided by more than a couple of moves. Rules writers stress that the name has nothing to do with China, and players often ask about the details rule sheets skip, such as whether you can stop in an unused point or how far a marble may hop. The usual sore point is blocking: a rules page we read notes that most rule sheets don't say what happens when an opponent's marble sits in your home point, so agree a rule first. Loose marbles going missing is the common practical gripe.

What people love

  • Simple enough for a six-year-old, with no reading and no luck
  • Long chains of hops across the board are the most satisfying moves
  • Up to six can play together, or three teams of two
  • A close race: good players often finish only a move or two apart

Common complaints

  • Rule sheets leave gaps (resting in unused points, blocked home holes), which leads to arguments
  • Families play different hop rules, so newcomers may learn a different game
  • Sixty small marbles roll away and get lost, and they aren't safe around toddlers
Based on 5 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

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Players2–6212–4
Best with2-4212
Play time10–30 min15–30 min5–20 min10–20 min
Age6+7+6+8+
RulesEasyEasyEasyEasy
Indian editionAvailableAvailableAvailableImported
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Questions people ask about Chinese Checkers

Is Chinese checkers a Chinese game?

No. It was invented in Germany in 1892 as Stern-Halma, a star-shaped version of the American game Halma. The name 'Chinese checkers' came from an American company's marketing in 1928, and in China the game is simply called tiaoqi, the 'jumping game'.

How many marbles does each player get in Chinese checkers?

Ten each, placed in the ten holes of one point of the star. A full six-player set like Funskool's has 60 marbles, ten in each of six colours. Some two-player versions use 15 marbles each, but Funskool's rules use ten.

Can 5 people play Chinese checkers?

The standard game is for 2, 3, 4 or 6 players. With five, one player races into an empty point while the others race into occupied ones, so it isn't fair; families who do it usually treat it as a casual game. With six, you can also play three teams of two, partners sitting opposite.

Can you jump over your own marbles in Chinese checkers?

Yes. You can hop over any single marble next to yours, your own or an opponent's, and keep hopping with the same marble as long as each landing hole is empty. Nothing is removed from the board, and you can't combine a jump with a one-hole step in the same turn.

What's the difference between Funskool's Chinese Checkers and Classic Chinese Checkers?

Both are Funskool sets for 2 to 6 players with 60 marbles. Our main Amazon.in link goes to the standard set (item 9416000), which has a cardboard star board; the Classic (item 9514000), our other good set, has a board with a wooden finish and is meant to look smarter and last longer.

Game facts

Publisher
Funskool
In India
Funskool (India) Ltd, Chennai
Players
2–6
Language
No reading – Nothing to read while you play. Funskool's rules sheet is in English, but the whole game can be taught by showing one step and one jump, so it works across languages and for children who can't read yet.
Box size and weight
34 × 31.5 cm, 0.437 kg
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.