Star Halma Unblocked

Star Halma is a game of momentum. Ten marbles start crammed into one tip of a six-pointed star, and you need to shift them all into the tip on the far side. One marble stepping forward at a time would take forever, so the real game is about hopping: lining marbles up so that one can bounce across half the board in a single turn. Nothing is ever captured, which keeps it friendly but still competitive. This unblocked two-player version comes from the PaperGames project by Christopher Müller, with a three-level computer and a local mode for two people.

Steps, Hops and Chains

The board has 121 holes. You begin in one tip of the star and your opponent in the tip facing it. Player 1 starts.

On your turn, one marble moves in one of two ways:

• A step. Move into any of the six neighboring holes, as long as it is empty.
• A hop. Leap across one neighboring marble and land in the open hole directly beyond. It does not matter whose marble you leap over, and it is not removed.

Hops can be linked. After landing, if another hop is available from the new hole, you can take it, changing direction as you like. A turn is either one step or a chain of hops, never both.

Select a marble and all of its possible destinations light up, even ones at the end of a long chain, so you just tap the final hole.

The winner is the first player whose marbles occupy every hole in the opposite point.

Star Halma controls

To do this	Keyboard	Mouse	Touch
Send a marble to a hole	Arrow keys and Enter to pick a marble, then the hole it should end in	Click your marble, then the highlighted hole where it should finish	Tap your marble, then the highlighted hole where it should finish
Face the computer	—	Click "vs Computer", pick Player 1 or 2 and a level, then click "New game"	Tap "vs Computer", pick Player 1 or 2 and a level, then tap "New game"
Play someone sitting next to you	—	Click "2 Player (local)"	Tap "2 Player (local)"
Undo the previous move	—	Click "Undo"	Tap "Undo"

Racing Faster Than Your Opponent

Lay down stepping stones. Spread a few marbles across the middle with one-hole gaps between them. Later marbles can then chain-hop along that line in one move. Building this “ladder” early is the biggest speed boost in the game.

Use your rival’s marbles too. Their pieces in the center are just as good to hop over as yours. Watch for chains that borrow them.

Bring up the rear. One forgotten marble left behind can waste several turns at the finish. Move stragglers forward before the race tightens.

Fill the target deep first. Push your first arrivals all the way into the tip of the goal point. If they stop at the entrance, they block the holes later marbles need.

Tap before you commit. Selecting a few different marbles shows how far each can reach this turn. The longest chain is not always best, but you should always know what it is.

Calm, Clever and Quick to Learn

Star Halma suits players who enjoy planning without the sting of losing pieces. Children pick up the rules in a minute, and adults can lose themselves in working out long hop chains. Against the computer you decide whether to move first or second, and the game in progress is saved if you close the page.

If hopping appeals to you, Peg Solitaire turns jumps into a solo puzzle. For a two-player duel where jumps do capture, try Checkers.