Hard Chinese checkers
Hard Chinese checkers looks further ahead on the same Sternhalma rules as Chinese checkers: four moves instead of three. It is not a different game and not a claim of solved play.
No captures. Chain jumps stay optional. A marble that reaches your goal point still cannot leave it.
Chinese checkers rules against Hard
Move all ten of your marbles from the south point of the star into the opposite point at the north. There is no capturing — a jumped marble stays on the board.
- Step one hole in any of six directions onto an empty neighbor, or hop over one adjacent marble to the empty hole directly beyond it.
- A single turn may chain several hops, even changing direction between hops — you choose how far the chain runs.
- Once a marble reaches your goal point, it may only move within that point, not back out.
What the Hard opponent sees
The Hard opponent looks four moves ahead, one more than Medium, and checks the most promising hops first in the same way.
It scores positions higher for marbles closer to the goal point, marbles already home, and clusters of marbles that can hop each other. There is no piece count to weigh, since nothing is ever captured.
It reads one move further than Medium on the same board, so it is sharper in the middlegame, but it always stops at four moves and a long plan can still get past it.
Racing drills on Hard
Longer ladders win the race
Hard reads one move further than Medium. A hopping ladder that only shows its full value five turns out is where it starts to catch up with your planning.
Cluster marbles for jump options
A group of your own marbles gives every piece in it more ways to hop. Hard's evaluation rewards this too — spread clusters across the board rather than one big clump.
Finish, don't sprint
One marble reaching the goal first does not matter if the other nine are still at the start. Hard advances its whole army — count your slowest marble, not your fastest.
Chinese checkers difficulty levels compared
| Level | Best for | How far it looks | Typical gap | Practice focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | Learning hops and chain jumps | No look-ahead: scores each move once, with some randomness | Picks its best single move without looking ahead; ignores your reply entirely | Practice chaining two or three hops in one turn before you race |
| Medium | The default Chinese checkers opponent | 3 moves ahead | Plans a few moves ahead but still misses long hopping ladders | Build a ladder of your own marbles to cross the board in fewer turns |
| Hard (this page) | A faster-racing computer opponent | 4 moves ahead | Looks one move further than Medium, but always stops at four moves | Keep the hole beyond your next hop clear before you commit to a chain |
Need a refresher on the basics? Read the complete Chinese Checkers guide and rules on Checkerso for star-board navigation, chain-jump mechanics, and goal-point rules.
Frequently asked questions
How deep does Hard Chinese checkers search?
Four moves ahead, checking the most likely chain jumps first: one move further than Medium's three.
Is Hard Chinese checkers unbeatable?
No. It is the strongest setting offered here, but it always stops at four moves ahead, and it has not solved the game.
Does the goal-zone lock ever cost the computer a game?
It can. Once a computer marble sits in its goal point, it may not move back out even to make room — planning around that lock is one of the few things separating Hard from Medium.