How to Play the Chopsticks Finger Game (with Fun Variations)

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Learn the rules of this fun and easy hand game (and best ways to win)
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If you’re looking for a quick and fun game to pass the time, Chopsticks is the perfect choice—and all you need are your hands! Also known as Sticks, Splits, or Finger Chess, this simple math game has you try to knock out the other player by tapping on their hands until they have 5 fingers out. Want to give it a try? Read our guide to learn the rules and fun variations of the game, plus winning strategies to help you claim victory.

Want to learn how to play the song “Chopsticks” on the piano? Check out our guide to learn the notes!

Basic Rules of Chopsticks

Start with both players holding out their hands with their index fingers extended. During a turn, tap one of your opponent’s hands to add fingers to their hand or split the fingers between your own hands. When a hand has 5 fingers, it’s knocked out of the game. Whoever is the last person with fingers in the game wins!

Section 1 of 4:

How to Play Chopsticks Finger Game

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  1. Face your opponent so you’re looking at each other. At the start of the round, hold out both of your hands in front of you, and extend both of your index fingers. Make sure both you and your partner keep your hands visible so you can see how many fingers each person has extended throughout the game. [1]
    • Chopsticks is normally a 2-player game, but you can add more people if you have a larger group.
  2. Pick one person to go first, and then alternate turns after that. On your turn, choose one of your hands and tap one of your opponent’s hands. They have to extend fingers equal to the number of fingers you have on your hand. [2]
    • Example: At the start of the game, each hand only has one finger. If you tap one of their hands, they have to stick out another finger, so they have 2 fingers out.
    • If they then use the 2 fingers to tap one of your hands, then you have to add 2 to that hand and hold out a total of 3 fingers.
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  3. Instead of attacking on your turn, you can tap your own hands together to redistribute the number of fingers you have extended. How your fingers are distributed has to be different than the start of your turn.
    • Example: If you have 3 fingers out on your right hand and just 1 finger out on your left, you could split them so you have 2 fingers extended on each hand. You can not swap your fingers so you have 3 on your left hand and 1 on the right.
    • You can also split your fingers so you have none extended. For example, if you have 3 fingers on one hand and 1 finger on the other, you could split it so you have 4 fingers on one hand and no fingers on the other.
  4. Keep alternating players and taking turns attacking or splitting your fingers. If you tap your opponent’s hand and it makes them extend all 5 fingers, that hand is considered "dead" and is no longer in play. [3]
    • Hide dead hands behind your back so you don’t get confused or use them again.
  5. 5
    Win the game when you knock out both of your opponent’s hands. Continue playing until one player loses both of their hands. If you’re the last person standing, then you win the game!
    • There are only a limited number of turns before the game ends, so if it’s obvious who’s about to win, forfeit the game and try another round.
    • Alternate which player starts the game to prevent the same person from winning every round.
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Section 2 of 4:

Winning Strategies for the Chopsticks Game

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  1. 1
    Split to 3 fingers on one hand and none on the other at the game’s start. If your opponent takes the first turn, they’ll make you have 2 fingers out on one hand and 1 finger on the other. Instead of attacking them back, tap your hands together to split them. When you have 3 fingers up on one hand and no fingers up on the other, your opponent may feel forced to tap your empty hand on their next turn. [4]
    • If they tapped your hand with 3 fingers, you would then have 4 fingers extended, and you could knock out one of their hands on your next turn.
  2. 2
    Split your fingers if your hand is almost knocked out. When you have 4 fingers up on one hand, your opponent could easily knock you out on their next turn. Make sure to split your fingers on your turn. Pay attention to how many fingers they have up on their hands to make sure the total doesn’t go higher than 5 if they tap you. [5]
  3. 3
    Always think one step ahead. There are only a certain number of possible moves when you’re playing Chopsticks, so there’s always a way to get the upper hand and win every time if you pay attention. Consider what the other player is going to do on their turn and try to plan ahead by making a move that slows them down.
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Section 3 of 4:

Rule Variations for Chopsticks

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  1. 1
    Split your fingers to revive a hand that was knocked out. If you have one hand dead and one alive with 2 or more fingers, you can split them to bring back a hand that was knocked out. Bring the dead hand back in the game so you can use it again. [6]
    • Games with this variant can go on for a long time, so limit how many times you’re able to revive your hands.
  2. Rather than having fully extended fingers for the whole game, curl your fingers in half to make "nubs" when you split an odd number. Two nubs equal one finger, so it takes longer to make a combination of nubs and full fingers equal enough for a dead hand.
    • Example: You have 2 fingers on your left hand and 3 on your right. If you split them, you can put up 2 fingers and a nub on each hand.
    • You must complete someone's nub in order to make it a full finger. To make a dead hand, you must have five full fingers, not four full fingers and one nub.
  3. In normal games, you can tap a hand and make it go over 5 fingers to knock it out. Requiring the total to be exactly five fingers adds more of a challenge and requires a little more strategy. If you’re unable to tap a person’s hands because it would give them more than 5 fingers, you lose the game! [7]
    • Example: If your opponent has 3 fingers, you can only tap them with your hand if you have 1 or 2 fingers out.
    • As an alternate rule, if you tap a person’s hand and make them go over 5 fingers, the count restarts. For example, if they had 3 fingers out and you tap them with 3 fingers, the count would stop at 5 before restarting. Because there’s still 1 leftover, your opponent extends 1 finger.
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Section 4 of 4:

Other Hand & Finger Games to Try

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  1. Try out these fun hand games when you have a few minutes to spare. There are tons of different games you can play using just your hands or fingers, and they don’t require any additional equipment. When you want to take a break from playing chopsticks, check out these games for a fun break.
    • Rock, Paper, Scissors : Make a hand sign for rock, paper, or scissors in hopes that you beat your opponent’s sign.
    • Snaps : Try to get your friends to guess a person’s name by saying sentences that start with each consonant and snapping for each vowel.
    • Shotgun : Use hand signs to load, shoot, or block shots from other players before they get your first.
    • Human Knot: Hold onto each other’s arms in the middle of a circle, and try to untangle yourselves without letting go.
    • Ninja: Test your reflexes to attack other players and avoid getting touched. [8]

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  • Question
    Can there even be 5 people?
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    Yes, it does not matter how many players there are.
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  • Question
    If I have an odd number on one hand, can I still split?
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    Yes. The split does not have to be even.
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  • Question
    Can three players play?
    Community Answer
    Yes. Just make sure you all are comfortable.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/_Qmce21friE?t=28
      2. ↑ https://informatika.stei.itb.ac.id/~rinaldi.munir/Stmik/2021-2022/Makalah/Makalah-IF2211-Stima-2022-K1+(56).pdf
      3. ↑ https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/chopsticks-game
      4. ↑ https://informatika.stei.itb.ac.id/~rinaldi.munir/Stmik/2021-2022/Makalah/Makalah-IF2211-Stima-2022-K1+(56).pdf
      5. ↑ https://informatika.stei.itb.ac.id/~rinaldi.munir/Stmik/2021-2022/Makalah/Makalah-IF2211-Stima-2022-K1+(56).pdf
      6. ↑ https://informatika.stei.itb.ac.id/~rinaldi.munir/Stmik/2021-2022/Makalah/Makalah-IF2211-Stima-2022-K1+(56).pdf
      7. ↑ https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/chopsticks-game
      8. ↑ https://frugalfun4boys.com/how-to-play-the-game-ninja/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      If you want to play Chopsticks, face your opponent and put your hands in front of you with one finger extended. Take turns tapping each other’s hands with your fingers extended. When you tap the other player’s hand, they must add the number of fingers you have extended to the number they have extended, then they must hold up that many fingers. For instance, on the first tap, your opponent would hold out 2 fingers. When a player’s hand has 5 open fingers, that hand is “dead.” Keep reading to learn about variations, like speeding up the game or introducing splits!

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