If you’re looking for a fun board game to play with friends and family, Chinese checkers is a great choice. This classic game was invented around 1880 and was originally called Halma, which is Greek for the word “jump.” The original game involved players moving pieces from one corner of a square board to the opposite corner, and the first person to get all of their pieces to the other side was declared the winner. Although this awesome game has the word “Chinese” in the name, it was actually invented in Germany.
This popular board game was introduced to the United States in the 1930s and features slightly different components and rules today. Colorful Chinese checkers marbles are used to play the game. The board is typically made of wood or metal, although some mass-produced games use cardboard. An official Chinese checkers board is shaped like a six-pointed star. The marbles sit inside small divots in the board instead of the original design, which featured squares.