

In the 1930s, as Pressman Co's game reaped success in the United States, other toy and game brands attempted to cash in on the craze as well.Įach various company spin-off also included the Oriental themes tacked on by Pressman Co., and ultimately Milton Bradley Company patented the name "Chinese Checkers" in 1941 as the title for their version of the game.Īnd the name stuck. The game was released in 1928, and it soon became far more popular than its English or German ancestors. Written in a chop-suey style font and bedecked with dragons and absurd Fu Manchu imagery, Hop Ching Checkers took the German/English board game and injected it with a heavy dose of early-1900's Orientalism. It would be until the American toy company Pressman Co., obsessed with the "Oriental mystique" and more than a bit racist, released their version of Stern-Helma under the name "Hop Ching Checkers." How do you play Chinese checkers Players choose their starting positions based on the number of players. Dubbed "Stern-Halma" ("Halma" being the German name for Hoppity, and "Stern" being "star") modern Chinese Checkers was born.īut it wasn't Chinese yet. Hoppity (which, by the way, is the most 1890's British name for a board game imaginable) eventually made its way to Germany, where it abandoned its British squareness and adopted a six-pointed star for a board. To win the game of Chinese Checkers you need to be the first to move all your pegs across the board to occupy the star point directly opposite your starting. Like Chinese Checkers, the game allowed for more than two players (in this case, four) each playing from the corner of the board. Most sources can agree that it first appeared as a game called "Hoppity," which was popular in Great Britain in the latter part of the 19th century. There is a bit of historical uncertainty about the origins of the modern game. With two or four players, pick triangles that are opposite each other. Select a player to go first Choose a color and starting triangle for each person. 'Chinese Checkers' sure is a funny name for a board game that comes from Germany and has nothing to do with checkers. You Will Need Two to six players A Chinese checkers board 10 colored pegs per player Step 1. You might, through the Chinese characters sent to you, be asked the question, 'Do you understand Chinese' You may follow the rules and form characters that. The Explainer is where we explain an aspect of Chinese life.
