Checkers (draughts) on the classic 8 × 8 board. Move your men diagonally forward, jump over rival pieces to capture them, chain several jumps in one turn and reach the far row to crown a king that moves both ways. Captures are compulsory, so set traps that force your opponent into bad trades. Play the computer on easy, normal or hard, or a friend on the same device.
How to play Checkers
Goal: Capture all of your opponent’s pieces or leave them with no legal move.
Keyboard & mouse
- Click a piece, then click where it should go
- For a multi-jump click each landing square (a single route completes itself)
- Arrow keys move along the dark squares, Enter or Space selects
- P or Escape to pause
Phone & tablet
- Tap a piece, then tap a highlighted square
- Pieces that can move are outlined; landing squares show a ring
Rules
- Men move one square diagonally forward onto an empty dark square.
- Capture by jumping over an adjacent rival piece into the empty square beyond. Captures are compulsory.
- After a capture, keep jumping with the same piece if you can — any capturing route may be chosen.
- A man reaching the far row becomes a king (its move ends there); kings move and capture backwards too.
- A player who cannot move loses. Forty moves each without a capture or a man moving is a draw.
Tips and strategy
- Keep your back row filled as long as you can — it stops the opponent crowning kings.
- Pieces on the edge are safe from capture but control fewer squares.
- Because captures are compulsory, you can offer one piece to win two.
- Ahead in pieces? Trade down: every even exchange makes your lead bigger.
