Definition

Noun: * A board game: A strategy game for two to six players, played on a star-shaped board with indentations (holes). Each player controls a set of marbles (or pegs) of one color, starting in one point of the star. The objective is to be the first to move all of one's marbles across the board into the star point directly opposite.

Usage

• The game Chinese checkers is often enjoyed by families.
• We spent the afternoon playing a long game of Chinese checkers.
• The rules of Chinese checkers are simple to learn but allow for complex strategy.

Advanced Usage

• The name "Chinese checkers" is a misnomer, as the game did not originate in China and is not a variant of checkers. It is a 20th-century American adaptation of a German game called "Stern-Halma."
• The game is sometimes referred to simply as "Chinese Checkers" (capitalized) when referring to the specific, trademarked version or the game in general as a proper noun.

Variants and Related Words

• Halma: The older, square-board game from which the star-shaped "Chinese checkers" was derived.
• Stern-Halma: The original German name for the star-shaped board game, meaning "Star Halma."
• Marble: The small spherical game piece used in Chinese checkers.
• Peg: An alternative type of game piece, sometimes used instead of marbles.

Synonyms

• Board game: (General category)
• Strategy game: (Describes the game's nature)

Notes on Meaning

• The term specifically refers to the game played on the distinctive six-pointed star board. It is not related to the game of checkers (also called draughts), which is played on a square grid by two players who jump over and capture each other's pieces.

Noun

1. a board game in which each player tries to move a set of marbles through a set of holes from one point of a six-pointed star to the opposite point