Checkpoint Ring

A Checkpoint Ring, originally known as a Middle Ring  (also formatted as Middle-Ring) and also known as a Save Ring, is a ring of light in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (and its reissue), Yoshi's Island DS, and Yoshi's New Island. It appears partway through most stages and serves as a checkpoint. If a Yoshi loses a life after passing through one, he can restart at the point of the Checkpoint Ring. Also, passing through a Checkpoint Ring increases the Yoshi's Countdown Timer by ten and turns all onscreen enemies into stars.

If a Yoshi loses a life after reaching a Checkpoint Ring in the Yoshi's Island games up until Yoshi's Island DS, the player keeps the star count (including the extra ten from reaching the ring) and eggs that they had when they touched it. However, in Yoshi's New Island, the player's star and egg counts reset to ten and zero, respectively, if a Yoshi loses a life and restarts from a Checkpoint Ring.

Despite their original name, "Middle Ring," Checkpoint Rings are not always placed in the middle of a stage. Some can be found at the very beginning, or not until near the end. A few stages even have multiple Checkpoint Rings, and there are always a couple before boss fights.