Rules of Halma

What is Halma?

Halma is a classic strategy board game invented in the 1880s. The name comes from the Greek word for "jump". It is played on a 16×16 square board for 2 or 4 players. Halma is the original game that Chinese Checkers evolved from.

The Board

The Halma board is a 16×16 grid (256 cells). In a 2-player game, each player starts with 19 pieces in an L-shaped corner zone. In a 4-player game, each player has 13 pieces in a triangular corner.

Goal of the Game

Move all your pieces from your starting corner to the diagonally opposite corner. The first player to completely fill the opposite corner zone wins.

How to Move

• Step: Move a piece to any adjacent empty cell in any of 8 directions (orthogonal + diagonal).
• Jump: Jump over an adjacent piece to land on the empty cell beyond it.
• Chain jumps: Make multiple jumps in a single turn. Diagonal jumps allow covering large distances quickly.

Strategy Tips

• Diagonal moves cover the most distance — use them to advance quickly.
• Build ladders across the diagonal for long chain jumps.
• Fill the far corners of the goal zone first to avoid blocking yourself.