HOW TO PLAY CHECKERS: RULES, MOVES AND WINNING BASICS

Setup

Checkers (also called draughts) is played on the same 8x8 board as chess, using only the dark squares. Each player starts with 12 pieces on the dark squares of their three nearest rows. Darker pieces usually move first.

How pieces move

Ordinary pieces move one square diagonally forward onto an empty dark square. They never move backwards, and they never leave the dark squares.

Jumping and capturing

You capture by jumping: if an enemy piece sits diagonally ahead of you and the square beyond it is empty, you leap over it and remove it from the board. Two rules make checkers sharp:

• Captures are forced. If a jump is available, you must take it. Good players use this to force you into bad trades.
• Jumps chain. If your landing square offers another jump, you keep jumping in the same turn. Double and triple jumps swing games instantly.

Kings

A piece that reaches the far end of the board is crowned a king. Kings move and jump diagonally in all four directions, which makes them worth roughly two ordinary pieces. Racing a piece to the back row is one of the strongest plans in the game.

Winning and drawing

You win by capturing all enemy pieces, or by leaving your opponent with no legal move. Games between careful players can end drawn when neither side can force progress.

Five beginner habits that win

• Control the centre. Central pieces have more jump options; edge pieces have fewer.
• Keep your back row intact early. An empty back row invites enemy kings.
• Move as a group. Lone advanced pieces get surrounded and jumped.
• Count the forced captures. Before every move, check what jumps you are creating for your opponent.
• Trade when ahead. Fewer pieces on the board makes a material lead decisive.

Play a real opponent

Rules make sense fastest in a real game: play checkers online free, or see how to challenge a friend to checkers.