58. Are You Game?: CHINESE CHECKERS

At a recent Greenhills Collectibles Fair, I found this Chinese Checkers board, a game we used to play as kids but which we discarded in favor of the easier-to-play dama or plain checkers. The objective of the game is to place one's marbles in the corner opposite your starting position on a hexagonal star, through single moves or jumps over your opponent's marbles. This game, however, is not Chinese at all--it was devised in Germany in 1893 under the name “Stern-Halma”, which in turn, was derived from an American game called "Halma". “Stern” is German for star. The name “Chinese checkers” was coined by Bill and Jack Pressman from their patented game originally called "Hop Ching Checkers".

The above-featured Chinese Checkers board is Philippine-made by Aristocrat Checker Supply, possibly in the early '70s. It is of thin plywood and painted green and red. I thought this boardgame is worth keeping - I still haven't figured what to do with it--considering that nobody plays Chinese Checkers anymore. (Well, I know of one friend who still plays this game--but online!)