Chopsticks is the classic free online hand game of finger-counting and tactics, played with simple rules but surprising depth. Each player starts with one finger up on each hand, and taps are used to add fingers to an opponent's hand until it is knocked out. Play in your browser with no download and no sign-up.
Despite its playground simplicity, Chopsticks is a true game of strategy and even has solved optimal play. Easy, Medium and Hard settings sharpen the computer's tactics, so beating it on Hard takes real planning ahead.
The game goes by many playground names — Sticks, Splits, Calculator or Finger Chess — and versions of it are played by schoolchildren everywhere from the United States to Japan, no equipment required beyond two pairs of hands. Because every position can be written down as just four small numbers, Chopsticks is also a favourite classroom example of combinatorial game theory: enthusiasts have mapped its complete game tree and worked out perfect strategies for each common rule variant.
That mix of recess nostalgia and hidden mathematics is what makes it fun to revisit against a computer. The AI on Hard plays the theory, so discovering the moves that keep you alive — and the forks that finish it off — feels like cracking a little puzzle from your childhood.
Eliminate both of your opponent's hands by forcing each to reach the knockout count, leaving them with no fingers left to play.
Tap with one of your hands onto one of your opponent's hands to add your finger count to theirs. You can also split or transfer fingers between your own two hands on your turn. Click or tap the hand you want to attack with, then the hand you want to hit.
There is no point score — a hand is knocked out when its count reaches the knockout number, and you win by knocking out both of the opponent's hands. Splits can bring a knocked-out hand back into play.
Think a move ahead, because the count rolls over and a hand can come back to life with a split. Use splits to dodge an imminent knockout and to set up forks that threaten both of your opponent's hands at once. Against the Hard computer, plan two or three taps deep.
How do you win Chopsticks?
Knock out both of your opponent's hands by adding fingers to them until each reaches the knockout count.
Can I move fingers between my own hands?
Yes. Splitting or transferring fingers between your hands is a key strategic move.
Is Chopsticks free?
Yes, play free in your browser against the computer with no download or sign-up.
More classic games: Tic-Tac-Toe, Rock Paper Scissors, Dots and Boxes, Sim, Mancala, plus all 100 free games.