How to play Checkers
Checkers, known as draughts in Britain, is a two-player game on a chequered board. You move your pieces diagonally forward and capture by jumping over your opponent's pieces. Reach the far side to make a king, and win by taking or blocking all of your opponent's pieces.
Step by step
Set out the pieces
Each player places 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three rows nearest to them. The two middle rows start empty.
Move diagonally forward
On your turn, move one piece one square diagonally forward onto an empty dark square.
Jump to capture
If an enemy piece is diagonally next to yours with an empty square behind it, jump over it and remove it.
Captures are compulsory
If you can capture, you must. If after one jump you can jump again, you must keep going with the same piece.
Crown a king
When a piece reaches the far row, it becomes a king. Kings can move and capture backwards as well as forwards.
Win the game
You win when your opponent has no pieces left, or cannot make a legal move.
The full rules
What you need
Checkers is played on a board of 64 squares, 8 rows by 8 columns, in two alternating colours. Each player has 12 round pieces, often called men. One player has dark pieces and the other has light pieces.
Setting up
Place the board so that each player has a dark square in the corner on their left. Only the dark squares are used in the game.
Each player puts their 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three rows nearest to them. That leaves two empty rows in the middle of the board.
The player with the dark pieces moves first. After that, players take turns.
Moving
On your turn, you move one piece. An ordinary piece moves one square diagonally forward, towards your opponent, onto an empty dark square. It cannot move sideways or backwards.
Capturing
You capture by jumping. If one of your opponent’s pieces is on the square diagonally in front of yours, and the square just beyond it is empty, you can jump over it and land on that empty square. The piece you jumped over is removed from the board.
Capturing is compulsory. If you can make a capture, you must, even if you would rather do something else. If you have more than one capture available, you may choose which one to take.
After a jump, if the same piece can jump again, it must carry on jumping. This is called a multiple jump, and it can take several pieces in one turn. A multiple jump can change direction, as long as each jump goes diagonally forward for an ordinary piece.
Kings
When one of your pieces reaches the far row of the board, it is crowned and becomes a king. A second piece is usually placed on top of it to show this.
A king moves one square diagonally in any direction, forwards or backwards. It can also capture forwards or backwards. If a piece reaches the far row in the middle of a jump, it is crowned and its turn ends there.
Winning
You win the game when:
- your opponent has no pieces left, or
- your opponent cannot make any legal move, because all their pieces are blocked.
If neither player can make progress, the game can be agreed a draw.
When you play online here, the draw is automatic: the game ends as a draw if the same position comes up three times, or after 40 moves each with no capture and no ordinary piece moved (only kings moving about).
Common variants
- International draughts is played on a 10 by 10 board with 20 pieces each. Ordinary pieces may capture backwards, kings can move any distance along a diagonal (called flying kings), and you must take the largest possible capture.
- Brazilian and Russian draughts use the 8 by 8 board but include flying kings and backward captures.
- In some old rule sets, a player who fails to capture loses that piece, called being huffed. This is no longer part of the standard rules.
Tips for beginners
- Keep your back row. Pieces on your back row stop your opponent from crowning kings. Try to leave them there as long as you can.
- Control the centre. Pieces in the middle of the board have more choices and are harder to trap.
- Move in groups. A piece on its own is easy to capture. Pieces that support each other are safer.
- Use the forced capture. Because captures are compulsory, you can offer one piece to lure your opponent into a position where you then take two or more.
- Look before you move. Before each move, check whether it leaves a piece open to a jump.
Common questions
Is checkers the same as draughts?
Yes. Checkers is the American name and draughts is the British name for the same game on an 8 by 8 board. International draughts is a different, larger game on a 10 by 10 board.
Do you have to jump in checkers?
Yes, in the standard rules. If you can capture, you must. If more than one capture is possible, you may choose which one to make.
Can ordinary pieces capture backwards?
Not in English draughts or American checkers. Only kings can capture backwards. In International draughts, ordinary pieces may capture backwards too.
Who moves first in checkers?
The player with the darker pieces (usually black or red) moves first in the standard rules.
What happens if neither side can win?
If both players agree that no progress can be made, the game is a draw. This often happens when only a few kings are left on each side.
Where it comes from
Games of this kind are thought to have been played in Europe for many centuries, possibly developing from older board games played on a similar grid. The 8 by 8 version became well established in Britain, where it is called draughts, and in North America, where it is called checkers. Different national versions are played around the world, including International draughts on a 10 by 10 board.
