How to play
Checkers is a game for two players on the 32 dark squares of an 8 × 8 board. Each side starts with 12 pieces on the three rows nearest to it. Dark always makes the first move, and then the players take turns, moving one piece per turn. You win by capturing all of your opponent's pieces or by leaving them without a legal move.
Play the computer on Easy, Medium or Hard, or choose 2 players to play a friend on the same screen. Against the computer you can play Dark and move first, or Light and let the computer open; your pieces are always at the bottom.
Rules
The game follows the standard American rules, also known as English draughts.
- Moving. An ordinary piece, called a man, moves one square diagonally forward onto an empty dark square.
- Capturing. To capture, jump diagonally over an enemy piece next to you onto the empty square directly behind it. The jumped piece is removed from the board.
- Captures are compulsory. If you can capture, you must. When several captures are possible you may choose any of them. You do not have to take the one that wins the most pieces.
- Multi-jumps. If the capturing piece can jump again from its landing square, it must keep jumping until no capture is left. The whole chain counts as one move. Men capture only forwards.
- Kings. A man that reaches the far row is crowned and becomes a king. Crowning ends the move, even if the new king could jump again. A king moves and captures one square diagonally in any direction, forwards or backwards.
- End of the game. A player with no pieces left, or with no legal move on their turn, loses. The game is a draw when both players make 40 moves in a row without a capture or a move by a man, or when the same position with the same player to move appears three times.
Controls
Mouse and touch
- Click or tap one of your pieces, then one of the dots that mark where it can go.
- Drag a piece and drop it on its target square.
- Multi-jumps: click each landing square in turn. If only one route leads to a square, you can click the final square straight away; it is marked with a ring.
Keyboard
- Tab moves focus to the board and the ← ↑ → ↓ keys move the cursor.
- Enter or Space selects the piece under the cursor, and then moves it to the square under the cursor.
- Esc cancels the selection or takes back an unfinished multi-jump.
Buttons
Undo takes back your last move, together with the computer's reply. Flip board turns the board around. The move list uses the standard square numbers 1 to 32; the Square numbers option shows them on the board.
Tips and strategy
- Guard your back row. While your back row is occupied, your opponent cannot crown. Many players keep two of these pieces at home for a long time.
- Take the centre. Pieces in the middle of the board have more options and support each other. Pieces on the side edges cannot be captured, but they have fewer moves.
- Move in groups. A piece that runs ahead alone is easy to trap. Advance pieces so that they back each other up.
- Use forced captures. Because capturing is compulsory, you can give up one piece to pull an enemy piece onto a square from which you then jump two or more pieces in return.
- Trade when ahead. When you are a piece up, even exchanges bring you closer to a won ending, because the extra piece counts for more when fewer pieces are left.
- Watch your mobility. A player who cannot move loses, so running out of safe moves is as dangerous as losing pieces.
Frequently asked questions
Is this checkers or draughts?
Both names describe the same game. It is usually called checkers in North America and draughts in Britain. International draughts is a different game, played on a 10 × 10 board with kings that can move across several squares.
Do I have to capture?
Yes. If any of your pieces can jump, you must make a capture. The game only lets you select pieces that can capture and shows the message “You must capture”.
Can a man jump backwards?
No. Under these rules men move and capture only forwards. Only kings can move or jump backwards.
How strong is the computer?
Easy plays mostly random moves and suits beginners. Medium looks four moves ahead. Hard searches much deeper in under a second per move and is a real challenge for most players.
Is my game saved?
Yes. The game in progress is saved in your browser and continues after a reload, and your results are stored for each difficulty level. If your browser blocks storage, nothing is remembered.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the page has loaded, you can play without an internet connection.
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- Four in a Row – line up four discs first.
- Tic Tac Toe – the quick classic for two.
- Sudoku – fill the grid with logic.
- Minesweeper – clear the field safely.
- Nonogram – picture logic puzzles.
- Klondike Solitaire – the classic card game.
- FreeCell – solitaire where skill decides.
- Mahjong Solitaire – match free tiles.
- Memory – find the matching pairs.