About Checkers Online
Play checkers online against a friend: send an invite link or a six-character code, or use quick match to play whoever is waiting. Every move is checked against the same rules, and after each game you can ask for a rematch with sides swapped.
Checkers (called draughts in Britain) is a two-player game of diagonal moves and jumps on an 8×8 board. Each player starts with twelve pieces on the dark squares. You win by capturing all of your opponent's pieces or leaving them with no legal move. This version follows the standard American rules: captures are compulsory, men move forward only, and kings move one square in any diagonal direction.
Also called: draughts, checkers game.
How to play Checkers
- Dark moves first (the pink pieces), then the players take turns. Tap one of your pieces to see where it can go, then tap a highlighted square.
- Men move one square diagonally forward onto an empty dark square.
- To capture, jump diagonally over an opponent's piece onto the empty square just beyond it. The jumped piece is removed.
- If a capture is available you must take it: the pieces that can capture pulse with a yellow ring. If the piece that jumped can jump again, it must keep going. Tap each landing square in turn, or tap the final square to play the whole jump at once.
- A man that reaches the far row is crowned king and gets a crown mark. Kings move and capture diagonally forwards and backwards, one square at a time.
- You win when your opponent has no pieces left or cannot make a legal move.
Rules
- All play is on the dark squares. Each side sets up on the dark squares of the three rows nearest them.
- Captures are compulsory, but when several captures are possible you may choose any of them. You do not have to take the one that captures the most pieces.
- A multi-jump must be completed: a piece stops jumping only when no further jump is available.
- A man that reaches the far row during a jump is crowned, and the move ends there, even if a king could have carried on jumping.
- Kings move one square at a time. They do not fly across the board as in international draughts.
- The game is a draw after 40 moves by each player with no capture and no crowning, or when the same position occurs three times with the same player to move.
Checkers tips and strategy
- Keep your back row filled as long as you can. It stops your opponent from crowning. The two middle squares of the back row are the most valuable guards.
- Control the centre. Pieces in the middle of the board have more options and support each other.
- Move in pairs and keep pieces together. A lone piece in front is easy to trap.
- Use the capture rule against your opponent: offer one piece so that the forced jump lands their piece where you can take two back.
- When you are ahead, trade pieces. Each even exchange makes your extra piece count for more.
- Get a king early in the endgame, and use two kings together to corner a lone king.
Checkers questions
Who moves first in checkers?
Dark always moves first. Here Dark is the pink side and Light is the white side. Against the computer you can choose Dark, Light or Random. If you play Light, the computer opens.
Do I have to capture?
Yes. In American checkers a capture is compulsory whenever one is available, and a multi-jump must be finished. The game highlights the pieces that must capture. You can choose which capture to make; it does not have to be the longest one.
How do kings move?
A king moves one square diagonally in any direction, forwards or backwards, and captures the same way by jumping an adjacent piece. Kings cannot slide several squares at once in American checkers.
Can a piece keep jumping after it is crowned?
No. When a man reaches the far row it becomes a king and the move ends immediately, even in the middle of a jump sequence. It can move as a king on your next turn.
How does a game end in a draw?
A game is drawn after 40 moves by each player without any capture or crowning, or if the same position occurs three times. Otherwise, a player who has no pieces or no legal move loses.
How strong is the computer?
Easy looks only a move ahead and makes loose moves, so beginners can win. Medium searches six moves deep. Hard thinks for about a second and searches around ten moves deep, and it will punish a careless exchange. Your game is saved after every move, and results are kept for each level.
Is Checkers free to play?
Yes. Checkers on Kultured Arcade is completely free: no download, no account and nothing to buy. It runs in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer.
Do I need to download Checkers?
No. It opens instantly in your browser and saves your progress on your device, so there is nothing to install and no sign-up.
Can I play Checkers on my phone?
Yes. The game fits your screen and works with touch as well as a mouse and keyboard, on iPhone, Android, tablets and computers.
Can I play Checkers online with a friend?
Yes. Open the Online tab and choose Create invite, then send the link or the six-character code. The game starts as soon as your friend opens it. Quick match pairs you with someone who is waiting.