Halma (Chinese Checkers) Move your stones from one side of the board to the other. Set up bridges for multiple jumps. We have regular Halma (KH) on an 8 by 8 board, Halma 10x10 (KI), and a great Halma-like game called Embargo (EG). Embargo rules are at the very bottom of the page.
If it is your turn, you will see blue outlines around the pieces that your opponent moved in his last turn.
To begin your turn, click a piece that you want to move. A new page will appear showing that piece outlined in red. Now, click the space to move that piece to. Another page will load showing the piece moved.
If the move was not a jump, then several Submit buttons will be beneath the board. You must click a submit button to finish your move.
If the move was a jump and no other jumps are available, then you must click 'Submit' to finish your move.
Object:
The object of Embargo is similar to Halma: move all your pieces from your "yard"
(the spots where your pieces start) to your opponent's "yard".
Your yard is the light-colored section of the board where your pieces are initially placed.
Setup:
The pieces are initially set up on opposite corners on a 9x9 board. The
screen shot below shows the starting position for Embargo:
Movement:
Pieces move along straight lines for any number of empty spaces, like
chess rooks. You have two restrictions on your movement
First, you cannot ever land on a square within your own yard (your yard is
the light-colored section of the board where your pieces are initially placed).
Second, pieces cannot move through Walls (see the "wall"
section below), except when Tunneling (see the "tunneling" section below).
Walls:
When two pieces of the same color line up in a straight line, one or more walls
can form. Pieces cannot move through walls of either color, except when tunneling.
In other words, a wall blocks pieces of both colors from moving across it.
The position above shows walls formed by both players.
The red dots in picture above shows the legal moves for the circled
green piece. The red X shows where the green piece hits a wall, and
thus cannot move onto that square or beyond it. Also,
if the green piece were to move to either side, it would either
extend or shorten the wall that's attached to it.
When you have a move that either SHORTENS or EXTENDS your own wall, those moves
are legal. (See example below.)
The picture on the far left shows the beginning position of the board,
before any moves are made. The middle picture shows an example of
a move EXTENDING a wall. The right-hand picture shows an example of
a move SHORTENING a wall, which is legal.
Tunneling:
When you make a move that SHORTENS a wall and goes through a perpendicular
wall at the same time, that move is legal and is called TUNNELING. It just
means that you have moved your piece through a perpendicular wall as you
shorten your own wall at the same time. (See example below).
When you tunnel, you can also choose to "bust" a wall, by landing
in between two pieces that form a wall. The example below also shows a "wall
busting" move being made.
The picture on the far left shows the piece chosen to do the tunneling.
In the middle picture, the green piece has TUNNELED through the orange
wall, to emerge on the other side of the orange wall. Green is able to do this because this
is a move that shortens the green wall. In the right-hand picture,
The green piece has landed IN BETWEEN the two orange pieces forming a wall,
and has BUSTED the wall. The two red X's show where the orange wall used to be.
This move can only be made when you are shortening a wall. If the green piece
had not been part of a green wall, it would not be able to move through the
orange wall like it did above.
The 25 move rule:
If you have a piece left in your yard on or after the 25th move, then you
automatically lose the game. Make sure all your pieces are out of your yard
by the 25th move of the game.
Winning the game:
You win the game when all your pieces are in the enemy yard.
