Chinese checkers originated from a Victorian British game, Halma, converted into a star-shaped board. It was first patented by Ravensburger, a famous German games company in 1892, only a few years after Halma appeared. Originally called the “Hop Ching Checker Game”, it was renamed “Chinese Checkers” before it took off.

Chinese Checkers can be played by 2 to 6 people, each person starting with a set of uniquely coloured pieces in one point of the star. The objective is simply to be the first to move all the pieces across the board and into the star point opposite. Pieces move a single point or else hop over other pieces in order to advance their pieces as quickly as possible. The middle part of the game becomes quite a challenge as the options for hopping vary rapidly as the game changes shape.