Chinese checkers finishers. The rules are simple, so even young children can play. Despite its name, the game is not a variation of checkers, nor did it originate in China or any part of Asia (whereas the game 象棋 "xiangqi", or "Chinese chess", is from China). The game was invented in Germany in 1892 under the name "Stern-Halma" as a variation of the older American game Halma. The "Stern" (German for "star") refers to the board's star shape (in contrast to the square board used in Halma). The name "Chinese Checkers" originated in the United States as a marketing scheme by Bill
Chinese handball checkers" or "Chinese fire drill", the name identifies it as an "exotic" or confusing variation on something more familiar to westerners. A 2010 PBS documentary, "New York Street Games", shows people playing Ace-King-Queen. Chinese handball Chinese handball (known in its 3-or-more-player forms as "Ace-King-Queen", "King(s)", "Down the River" or "Slugs"), is a form of American handball popular on the streets of New York City, Philadelphia, and Bridgewater, New Jersey during the 1960s, '70s, and '80s and is still played today, mostly in New York City, Philadelphia, and San Diego. Different variations are played around the world. Its defining feature is