GAME INSTRUCTIONS
What is the goal of the game?
Halma 3D is the classic game of Chinese checkers, played online on a three-dimensional board. Its name comes from the original game, Halma (Greek for "jump"), which was played on a square board. In this version, the board is a six-pointed star. Each player starts with 15 pieces in one point of the star. The goal is to move all of them across the board to the opposite triangle. Every player has a color: green, red, or blue. The first player to bring all their pieces to the opposite point wins. In a 3-player game, play continues to decide second place.Recommended age and educational level
Halma 3D is recommended for students ages 7 and up, from 2nd grade through middle school and beyond. It works well as a classroom strategy activity, a center rotation, or a quick brain break, and it's equally challenging for teachers and older students.How to play: single-player or multiplayer
Click a piece to see every space it can reach. A piece can move to an adjacent empty space or jump over another piece into an open space, just like in checkers. Jumps can be chained together whenever possible. Unlike checkers, pieces are never captured: other players' pieces are simply tools that help you make longer jumps and move farther. Click and drag to rotate the 3D board and change your view. Game modes:- Vs. the computer: 2- or 3-player games with one or two computer opponents.
- Local multiplayer: 2–3 players taking turns on the same computer.
- Online: 2–3 friends on different computers. Everyone opens the same game and selects the same mode (online and the same number of players). No password is needed; players join directly.
What do you learn from this game? Learning and skills
- Strategic thinking: choosing the moves that bring you closest to the goal.
- Spatial reasoning: reading a 3D board and understanding directions on a star-shaped grid.
- Planning ahead: spotting multi-jump sequences several steps in advance.
- Problem solving: finding the longest path with the pieces available.
- Focus and attention: tracking all pieces and open spaces at once.
- Social skills: taking turns, good sportsmanship, and fair play.
Tips to get the most out of this game
- Look for chain jumps on every turn: they're the fastest way across the board.
- Keep your pieces moving as a group so they can act as stepping stones for each other.
- Don't leave stragglers behind; the last piece often decides the game.
- Teachers: project a game on the board and have students predict the best move before clicking.
- Use the online mode for pairs or groups of three on separate devices in the computer lab.
- Talk about the game's history: how a square-board game called Halma became the star-shaped Chinese checkers.