Chinese checkers board template
Print the 121-hole star at full size for your marbles, as a drilling template across Letter or A4 sheets, or download it for a CNC.
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How the star is laid out
The board is a six-pointed star with 121 holes (Wikipedia): a centre hexagon of 61 and six points of 10, one point for each player’s set of 10 marbles. Every hole is one spacing from each of its six neighbours on a triangle grid, so rows sit 0.866 of a spacing apart.
Example: with 9/16 in holes 1 in apart, the star fits a 14 1/16 in × 16 1/4 in hexagon with the points in its corners, and prints on 4 Letter sheets plus the check sheet.
Questions
How many holes are on a Chinese checkers board?
121: a hexagon of 61 in the middle and six star points of 10. Each player starts with 10 marbles in one point; with two players, 15 each may be used (Wikipedia).
How big is a Chinese checkers board?
The star is 13 holes across at its widest row and 17 rows from tip to tip. At 1 in spacing that makes the holes span 12 in across and about 13.9 in tip to tip; with margins the template here is 14 1/16 in × 16 1/4 in.
What size holes for Chinese checkers marbles?
Measure your marbles and drill a test hole in scrap. The starting size here is 9/16 in holes 1 in apart; a hole a little smaller than the marble holds it without rolling.
Can the board be round?
Yes. Pick Round under More options and the board becomes a circle with your edge margin around the star points.
How do I print the template at actual size?
In the print dialog choose 100% or Actual size, and turn off Fit to page or Shrink to fit. Then measure the square on the first sheet. If it isn’t exactly 4 in (or 100 mm in metric) on each side, the page was scaled, so print again.
How do I put the pages together?
Trim each sheet along the dashed lines on its left and top edges. Lay it over the sheet before so the cut edge sits on the solid line and the short ticks join up, then tape it. Holes near a join print on both sheets, so they should land on top of each other too.