Add fingers · Eliminate hands · Pure strategy
Instead of attacking, you can redistribute fingers between your own two hands. The new distribution must differ from the current one — you can't skip your turn.
Force your opponent's hands to exactly 5 to eliminate them. A hand at 5 is out and counts as 0. Eliminate both hands to win.
The split is the key to advanced play. If your hand has 4 fingers and your opponent is about to tap it, split 4+1 into 2+3 — you survive with both hands active. Also watch for parity traps: keep your hands on odd numbers so your opponent can't reach 5 in one tap from an even number.
Common beginner mistake: ignoring the split entirely and just attacking. Intermediate players use splits defensively; advanced players use them offensively to create unavoidable eliminations.
Chopsticks (also called finger chess, split, or sticks) is a hand game played worldwide in schoolyards and playgrounds. Unlike Rock Paper Scissors, it's a pure strategy game — no luck involved. Both players have complete information at all times, making it similar in depth to Nim or Connect Four.