Rules of Ugolki (Corners)

What is Ugolki?

Ugolki (Russian for "Corners") is a popular strategy board game from Eastern Europe. It is played on an 8×8 square board by 2 players. Despite its simple rules, Ugolki offers deep strategic gameplay.

The Board

The board is an 8×8 grid. Each player starts with pieces arranged in a triangular corner zone — one in the top-left, the other in the bottom-right.

Goal of the Game

Move all your pieces from your starting corner to the diagonally opposite corner (your opponent's starting position). The first player to fill the opposite corner wins.

How to Move

• Step: Move a piece to any adjacent empty cell (up, down, left, right).
• Jump: Jump over an adjacent piece to land on the empty cell beyond it.
• Chain jumps: Make multiple jumps in a single turn. On ChiCheckers, you can also enable diagonal movement for 8-direction play.

Strategy Tips

• Move pieces toward the center first — the center offers the most jump opportunities.
• Create stepping-stone chains between your corner and the goal.
• Don't leave pieces behind — isolated pieces are very slow on a small board.