Overview

Stern-Halma originated in Germany in 1892 as a variation of the older American game Halma. It supports two to six players and is played on a six-pointed star board with 121 holes. Each player fills one triangular arm with 10 pieces and races to move them all into the opposite arm.

The game is also widely known as Chinese Checkers, though it has no connection to China or to Checkers.

The Board

The board is a six-pointed star formed by two overlapping equilateral triangles. It contains 121 holes:

• 6 triangular arms, each with 10 holes arranged in four rows of 4, 3, 2, 1 (outermost to innermost)
• Central hexagonal play area with 61 holes

The arms point to six compass directions: N, NE, SE, S, SW, NW.

Variants

• Standard 2-Player — N vs S arms, 10 pieces each. The foundational form.
• Standard 3-Player — N, SE, SW arms (alternating). Each player crosses to the opposite arm.
• Standard 4-Player — NE, SE, SW, NW arms (diagonal pairs). N and S remain empty.
• Standard 6-Player — All six arms occupied. Maximum congestion in the centre.
• Super Chinese Checkers — Extended hop rule: pieces jump multiple empty spaces symmetrically across a hurdle.

Attribution

Stern-Halma. Originated in Germany, 1892. Public domain. Rules confirmed from ezekeal/bgg-get (BGG entry for Sternhalma) and Lehi-Innovation/boardgame-rules (independent jump-rule audit confirming chain hops, no forced jump, no capture). Board dimensions (121 holes, 6 × 10-hole arms, 61-hole centre) confirmed from mastersofgames.com and Wikipedia.