kiduverseWhat is Corners?
Corners is a race for two sides on a square board. The pieces do not fight or capture: each side tries to move its entire group into the opposite starting area, called a home. This version uses an 8×8 board, nine pieces per side and 3×3 homes.
You play blue from the bottom-left; the computer plays gold from the top-right. Both positions are visible. You can take an ordinary step or jump over a neighbouring piece. Either colour can support a jump, and the jumped piece stays on the board.
Complete information
No hidden fleet, shuffled cards or dice. You can inspect both sides before choosing a move.
Tempo matters
A well-prepared jump chain can cover several cells in one turn. A useful step can prepare that chain.
Corners rules in one minute
- Set up the homes.Nine pieces fill each of the opposite 3×3 corners.
- Blue starts.After that, sides alternate one move at a time.
- Take a step.Move one cell up, down, left or right into an empty neighbour.
- Or make a jump.Jump one adjacent piece and land on the empty cell directly beyond it.
- Join jumps into a chain.The same piece can jump again, changing direction when needed.
- Fill the opposite home.Move all nine pieces into the target, with an equalizing reply for the second side.
A jump never captures a piece
A jump needs two things: a neighbouring piece to jump and a clear landing immediately behind it. The support can be your piece or the opponent’s. After landing, the moving piece can jump again if another support and empty landing are available.
Two pieces standing directly next to each other cannot be crossed in one jump: the landing behind the first is occupied. You also cannot mix a step into a jump chain. An ordinary step ends your move.
Play Corners against the computer
You play the blue pieces at the bottom-left. Select a piece, then a highlighted destination. The board shows both ordinary steps and reachable endpoints of jump chains. You choose the endpoint and the animation shows the route.
Open the game →This is the orthogonal version: no diagonal moves. The computer assigns separate target cells to its pieces, considers laggards and looks ahead to its next move. It is a practice opponent, with no tournament rating attached.
Homes and rule variants
The home is one side’s starting area and the other side’s target. Different sets use 3×3 squares, 3×4 rectangles or stepped formations. Changing the home changes the number of pieces and the space available for entering the target, so agree on it before starting.
| Variant | Movement | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| 8×8, nine pieces | Orthogonal | The version on the separate play page. |
| Diagonal Corners | Sides and diagonals | More routes and different jump opportunities. |
| 10×10 board | Agreed before play | Longer journeys and a home size chosen for the larger board. |
| Larger home | Agreed before play | More pieces and a longer race. |
Winning, the equalizing reply and draws
The goal is reached when every piece occupies the opposite starting home. Blue moves first, so gold needs a final reply if blue finishes: otherwise the two sides would have had different numbers of turns.
Blue finishes first
The computer gets one equalizing move. If its target remains incomplete, blue wins.
Both finish in equal turns
If the computer fills its last target cell on that reply, the result is a draw.
Gold finishes first
The computer wins immediately: it has already made as many moves as the starting side.
A piece blocks the home
Some variants require leaving the starting home before a fixed turn count. Kiduverse does not use that deadline; the match continues until a target is filled.
Build routes without wasting turns
Bring the back pieces out early
A piece stranded deep in the starting corner will need a separate route later. Move the rear pieces while nearby pieces still provide supports. A lead piece cannot win on behalf of the others.
Leave supports one cell apart
A chain needs a support between empty landing cells. Before moving a support away, check whether another piece still needs it. A tidy jumping route is more useful than a dense cluster.
Evaluate the endpoint
A long chain is not automatically strong. Ask whether its endpoint reaches a free target cell, helps another piece or creates a useful continuation. A short setup step can be better.
Fill the deeper target cells
If you block the entrance too early, later pieces have to detour around your own wall. Move arriving pieces farther into the home and leave a route for the rest.
Difficult situations
Can I jump backward?
Yes. A legal move does not have to approach the target immediately. A temporary retreat may open a longer route next turn.
Can I stop a chain early?
Yes. The browser lets you choose any reachable endpoint. If a paper group wants mandatory continuation, that is a rule to agree before play.
Can I leave the target home?
Yes, in this version. An arrived piece can move again to clear an entrance or make room. There is no automatic lock on settled pieces.
What if both sides finish?
The equalizing-turn rule decides it: if the second side finishes on its final reply, the match is drawn.
The position repeats
Paper players can agree on a repetition draw. The browser does not declare one automatically, but the computer discourages revisiting its own positions.
The opponent mirrors my moves
This page has no automatic mirror-move limit. For a paper match, agree on any limit beforehand rather than introducing it halfway through.
Corners, checkers, Halma and Chinese checkers
Not a capturing game
Ordinary checkers uses captures and kings. Corners has neither. You can jump your own pieces because the goal is transporting the group.
A compact relative of Halma
Both use steps and jump chains to race pieces into the opposite area. Corners offers that idea on an ordinary square board with small homes.
Not the star-shaped board
Chinese checkers uses a six-pointed star and can accommodate more sides. Here the board is square and the two homes are opposite.
One support per jump
Each jump crosses exactly one adjacent piece and lands directly behind it. A chain is several legal jumps, not one leap across a row of pieces.
Where the idea comes from
Halma was invented by George Howard Monks in 1883–1884. Penn Museum holds a late nineteenth-century set with a 16×16 board; see its Halma collection record. Corners shares the family’s race-and-jump idea: pieces advance rather than being removed. The jumping mechanism creates routes that can cross a large part of the board in a single turn.
The compact version described here uses a familiar 8×8 board, nine pieces and a 3×3 starting home. The name reflects those corner homes. Its relationship to other race games does not make their rules interchangeable: board shape, movement directions and piece counts still matter.
What the Kiduverse version offers
A computer that plans for the group
The computer distributes pieces among distinct target cells, considers pieces left behind and checks a future move. It also discourages repetition. All its decisions use the visible board; there is no hidden information to consult.
A complete browser match
No account or installation is required. Legal endpoints are highlighted and jump routes are animated. Restart restores the initial board and cancels a pending computer reply. Reloading the page starts fresh too.
Try a plan of your own
Choose a piece that has fallen behind and find two routes: one that advances immediately and one that prepares a future chain. Name the supports and the cells that must remain empty. Explain which route helps more than just that one piece.
Near the finish, inspect the entrance to the target. If your own pieces block it, find a move deeper inside or a temporary retreat. In the next match, use the technique without help and check whether the whole group arrives sooner.
Start another matchFrequently asked questions
What is Corners?
A race across a square board. Move your entire group from its starting corner into the opposite home before your opponent finishes.
How many players and pieces are there?
This version has two sides on an 8×8 board, nine pieces each and opposite 3×3 homes. You play the blue side against the computer.
Are jumped pieces captured?
No. You can jump either colour, but every jumped piece stays where it was. There are no captures or kings.
Can I make several jumps in one turn?
Yes. After landing, jump again with the same piece if another legal support and empty landing exist. You may change direction, but cannot insert an ordinary step.
Are diagonal moves allowed?
Not here: steps and jumps go up, down, left or right. Some home variants add diagonals, which players should agree before starting.
How do I win?
Fill all nine cells of the opposite home. If you finish first, the computer gets one equalizing turn; you win if it does not finish too.
When is the result a draw?
If the first side finishes and the second fills its own target on the equalizing move, both used the same number of turns and the result is a draw.
What happens after three repetitions?
Paper players can agree on a repetition draw. This browser version does not apply it automatically, but the computer penalizes revisiting its positions to avoid cycles.
Is copying the opponent’s moves forbidden?
There is no automatic mirror-move limit here. If you want one for a paper match, agree on it in advance.
What are the 40- and 80-turn rules?
Some variants set a deadline for leaving the starting home or compare target occupation after a fixed turn count. Kiduverse does not apply those limits: play continues until a home is filled.
Do I need to sign up?
No. The game is free and runs directly in your browser. Restart resets the pieces and cancels any pending computer move.
Is this checkers or Chinese checkers?
The pieces look like checkers, but the objective is a race rather than captures. Chinese checkers uses a star-shaped board and can support more players.
How is Corners related to Halma?
Both race a group of pieces to the opposite part of the board using steps and jump chains. This compact version uses an ordinary 8×8 board and 3×3 homes.
Can Corners be played on a 10×10 board?
Yes, larger-board variants exist. Agree on home size, piece count and directions before playing. The interactive game here uses an 8×8 board.