How many players can play Diamond Game?

2-3 players. If you're short of players, the host can add CPU players, so you can start a table on your own.

What age is Diamond Game suitable for?

We suggest 6+. There's no age check, so treat it as a guide.

Does it cost anything?

Nothing at all. No account and no app to install: enter a name and you're straight in.

Can I play on a smartphone?

Yes. It runs in the browser, so the same URL opens on iPhone and Android alike.

How do I invite friends?

Open a table and press "Invite link" to get its URL. Anyone you send it to comes straight to your table.

Board games

How to play Diamond Game

Hop and hop again,
all the way to the far camp.

Move your fifteen pieces from your camp to the camp across a star-shaped board. Hop over a neighbouring piece, and if you can hop again from where you land, keep going. A rare board game for three, and the rules take three minutes to learn.

Play Diamond Game free Play vs CPU

No sign-up, nothing to install. Enter a name and you're at the table. No opponent? Play the CPU right away.

Count: 2–3 players
Play time: 15–25 min
Ages: 6+
Equipment: A star-shaped board (181 holes), 15 pieces in each of three colours

What is Diamond Game?

A piece steps to a neighbouring empty hole, or hops over one neighbouring piece to the empty hole beyond. If it can hop again from there, it keeps going (left: the red piece hops twice). The King can hop over any number of pieces in a row (right). The first to fill the camp opposite with their own pieces wins.

The Diamond Game is a board game long loved in Japan, based on the German "Stern-Halma" of the 19th century (known in English as Chinese checkers). The six points of the star are camps: whoever first moves all their pieces from their own camp into the same-coloured camp opposite wins. A piece either steps to a neighbouring hole or hops over a neighbouring piece. If it can hop again from where it lands it may carry on, so with a good path a piece can cross the whole board in one move. At Kirakuken we play the Japanese version, with one "King" among each player's pieces.

Playing Diamond Game at Kirakuken

Two or three players. Empty seats can be filled with CPUs
Pick a piece to see dots where it can hop and rings where it can step
Moved pieces retrace their path one hop at a time
Your own camp is always at the bottom. Three CPU strengths to choose from

Rules of Diamond Game

These rules always apply at our tables.

Start: each player sets 15 pieces in their own-coloured camp (the 15-hole triangle). The King goes in the far corner; the rest are ordinary pieces. Players move one at a time in seat order.
Step: move a piece to a neighbouring empty hole.
Hop: jump over one neighbouring piece (yours or anyone's) to the empty hole just beyond. If you can hop again from there you may keep going, and stop wherever you like. You cannot mix steps and hops in one move.
King: the King can hop over any number of pieces lined up in a row. Ordinary pieces cannot hop over a King, and a King cannot hop over another player's King.
Other camps: you cannot stop in a camp that is neither your start nor your goal. Passing through it mid-hop is fine.
Winning: the first to fill all 15 holes of the camp opposite with their own pieces wins. Pieces that reach the goal camp cannot leave it again.

Optional rules

You choose these when opening a table.

Number of pieces: some boards use 10 or 6 pieces each, and some versions have no King. Kirakuken uses 15: one King and 14 ordinary pieces.
No moves: a player with no piece that can move skips their turn.

FAQ

How many players can play Diamond Game?: 2-3 players. If you're short of players, the host can add CPU players, so you can start a table on your own.
What age is Diamond Game suitable for?: We suggest 6+. There's no age check, so treat it as a guide.
Does it cost anything?: Nothing at all. No account and no app to install: enter a name and you're straight in.
How long does a game take?: About 15–25 min.
Can I play on a smartphone?: Yes. It runs in the browser, so the same URL opens on iPhone and Android alike.
How do I invite friends?: Open a table and press "Invite link" to get its URL. Anyone you send it to comes straight to your table.

Done reading? Take a seat.

Open a Diamond Game table Play vs CPU

Last updated: 2026-11-03