How to Play Chopsticks Game — Rules, Variations & Strategy

What you need

Two players and your own hands. No paper, dice, or app required. Each player holds up both hands with the same starting number of fingers.

A common start: two fingers on each hand.

Goal: Knock out both of your opponent's hands. A hand is out when it shows zero fingers.
Tap: On your turn, pick one of your live hands and tap one of your opponent's live hands. Add your hand's finger count to theirs.
Five knocks a hand out: If the total lands on exactly five, that hand becomes zero and is out. In this version, any total above five wraps over: six becomes one, seven becomes two, and so on.
Split: Instead of tapping, you can split your total fingers across both hands. Each hand must end up with at least one finger and fewer than five. A split can even bring a dead hand back to life.
Take turns: Players alternate taps and splits until one player has both hands out.

You start with 2 fingers on your right hand and your opponent has 2 fingers on their left hand. You tap them with your right hand:

Their hand now shows 4 fingers. If it had shown 3 before, the tap would have made 5 and knocked it out.

Starting count: Some groups start with 1 finger up on each hand, others with 2. The online version here starts both players at 2–2.
Over-five rule: Classic playground rules often say any total over five becomes the remainder when divided by 5 (5 → out, 6 → 1, 7 → 2). Other groups simply treat anything 5 or above as out. Our game uses the rollover version so you can come back from high counts.
Splitting a dead hand: Many versions allow a split to revive a hand that was knocked out, as long as the final count on each hand is between 1 and 4.
No self-taps: You can only tap an opponent's hand, never your own.

Look for five: If a tap will make an opponent hand land on exactly five, take it. Removing a hand is usually better than chipping away.
Split to survive: A split can rescue a dead hand or give you two balanced threats. It is especially strong when one hand is high and the other is out.
Avoid giving them five: Try not to leave your hands at counts that let your opponent finish you on their next move.
Keep both hands active: A single live hand is easier to trap than two. Use splits to keep both hands in play.

Try the interactive version and practice against the computer.