Home › Fun & Games › Checkers
Checkers
Play classic American checkers (English draughts) against the computer or a friend on one screen. Jump your opponent's pieces, crown kings and clear the board to win.
You (Red)0
Draws0
Computer (White)0
Your move
American checkers (English draughts) rules: men move and capture diagonally forward, kings move one square in any diagonal direction, multi-jumps must be completed. Keys: arrows + Enter to move, Esc to cancel, U undo, H hint, N new game.
Advertisement
Advertisement
How to use the Checkers
- Choose a mode. Play vs Computer and pick Easy, Medium or Hard, or switch to 2 players to play a friend on one device.
- Pick your color. Red moves first. If you choose White, the board turns so your pieces are at the bottom.
- Move a piece. Click one of your highlighted pieces, then click a marked square. For a multi-jump, click each landing square in turn.
- Capture and crown. Jump over an opponent's piece to capture it. Reach the far row to make a king, which can move backwards too.
- Win the game by capturing all of your opponent's pieces or leaving them with no legal move. Use Undo move or Show hint whenever you like.
Checkers rules at a glance
This game follows the rules of American checkers, also called English draughts, the version played in official tournaments in the United States and the United Kingdom.
| Rule | Details |
|---|---|
| Board | 8 × 8, only the 32 dark squares are used. Each player has a dark square in their bottom-left corner. |
| Pieces | 12 per side, placed on the first three rows of dark squares. |
| First move | The darker side (Red here) moves first. |
| Men | Move one square diagonally forward and capture only forwards. |
| Captures | Jump an adjacent enemy piece into the empty square beyond it. Jumps are compulsory and multi-jumps must be completed. |
| Kings | A man reaching the far row is crowned. Kings move and capture one square diagonally in all four directions. Crowning ends the turn. |
| Winning | Capture all enemy pieces or block them so they cannot move. |
| Draws | Threefold repetition, or 40 moves each without a capture or a man moving. |
Squares are numbered 1 to 32 in standard checkers notation, starting from Red's side. Turn on Square numbers to see them. In the move list, 11-15 means a piece moved from square 11 to 15 and 22x15 means it captured on the way.
Checkers strategy tips
- Control the center. Pieces on the central squares have more options and block your opponent's development. Pieces on the edge can only move one way.
- Keep your back row. As long as your back row stays guarded, your opponent cannot crown kings. Many players keep two back-row pieces (on squares 1 and 3 for Red) until late in the game.
- Move in groups. A piece with a friendly piece behind it cannot be jumped from the front. Lone pieces in front of your formation are easy targets.
- Use forced captures. Because jumps are compulsory, you can sacrifice one piece to drag an enemy piece into a square where you then capture two. These "shots" decide most games between beginners and club players.
- Trade when ahead. With one extra piece, exchanging pieces one for one makes your advantage bigger in proportion and easier to convert.
- Use the double corner when behind. A single king can often hold off two kings by shuttling between the two squares of a double corner.
How the computer plays
The computer generates every legal move, including all possible multi-jump sequences, and searches the game tree with minimax and alpha-beta pruning. When the search depth runs out in the middle of a capture sequence it keeps going until the position is quiet, so it doesn't misjudge exchanges. Positions are scored by material (a king is worth about 1.65 men), advancement, center control, back-row defense and, in the endgame, how close its kings are to your pieces. Hard deepens the search move by move for about one second, Medium looks five moves ahead and Easy looks two moves ahead and plays random moves fairly often.
Frequently asked questions
What are the basic rules of checkers?
Each player starts with 12 pieces on the dark squares of an 8 × 8 board. Pieces move one square diagonally forward. You capture by jumping diagonally over an opponent's piece into the empty square behind it, and you can chain several jumps in one turn. A piece that reaches the far row becomes a king. You win when your opponent has no pieces or no legal moves left.
Is capturing mandatory in checkers?
Yes, in official American checkers and most other versions, if a capture is available you must take it, and you must finish a multi-jump. If several captures are available you may choose any of them, not necessarily the longest. This game lets you turn forced captures off for a more relaxed casual game.
How do kings move in checkers?
In American checkers a king moves and captures one square diagonally in any direction, forwards or backwards. It does not fly across the board like a king in international draughts. When a man reaches the king row during a jump, the move ends there and it is crowned.
Who moves first in checkers?
The player with the darker pieces moves first. In this game that is Red. You can choose to play White if you want the computer to start.
How strong is the computer?
Easy looks only two moves ahead and often picks a random move. Medium searches five moves ahead and varies its play. Hard uses iterative-deepening minimax with alpha-beta pruning and capture extensions for about a second per move, usually reaching ten or more moves deep, so it rarely misses tactics.
When is a checkers game a draw?
This game declares a draw when the same position appears three times with the same player to move, or when 40 moves each go by without any capture or any man moving forward, which is how most rule sets handle drawn king endgames.
Can I play checkers with a friend?
Yes. Choose 2 players and take turns on the same screen. The score tally keeps separate counts for Red and White.
Related tools
Play Chess vs ComputerPlay chess online against the computer at 8 difficulty levels.ReversiPlay Reversi (Othello rules) online vs a 3-level computer or a friend, with move hints.Connect FourPlay Connect 4 online against the computer or a friend.Tic Tac ToePlay tic tac toe against an unbeatable AI or a friend.SolitairePlay classic Klondike Solitaire with Draw 1 or Draw 3 and undo.Spider SolitairePlay Spider Solitaire online with 1, 2 or 4 suits, hints, unlimited undo and a timer.Snake GamePlay classic Snake online with speeds, wall modes and high scores.Block Puzzle GameClassic falling blocks puzzle game with levels and high score.MinesweeperPlay classic Minesweeper: 3 difficulties, flags, timer and a safe first click.2048 GamePlay 2048 online with swipe controls, undo and best score.Coin FlipFlip a coin online: heads or tails, multiple coins and stats.Yes or No WheelSpin the wheel for a yes or no answer to any question.Sudoku OnlinePlay free Sudoku with 4 difficulty levels, notes, hints and a timer.Random Name GeneratorGenerate random first and last names by gender and origin.Random Team GeneratorSplit a list of names into random, balanced teams.Zodiac Sign CalculatorFind your zodiac sign, element and best matches from your birthday.Zodiac CompatibilityCheck love compatibility between two zodiac signs.Love CalculatorEnter two names and get a fun love compatibility score.Dice RollerRoll a D6 or any RPG dice (D4 to D100) with totals and history.Random Number GeneratorPick random numbers in any range, unique or lottery-style.Random Letter GeneratorPick random letters from the alphabet, with vowel, case and no-repeat options.Random Country GeneratorPick random countries with flags, capitals, population and area.Random Date GeneratorGenerate random dates between two dates, with weekday and format options.Numerology CalculatorFind your life path, expression and soul urge numbers from name and birthday.Birth Flower & Birthstone FinderLook up the birthstones and birth flowers for any month, with meanings.Picker WheelSpin a wheel to pick a random name or choice.Random Dog PicturesRandom dog photos and fun dog facts.Random Cat PicturesRandom cat photos and fun cat facts.Random Parrot PicturesRandom parrot photos and bird trivia.Dog Web StumbleJump to a random dog website.Cat Web StumbleJump to a random cat website.Parrot Web StumbleJump to a random parrot website.Random Animal GeneratorGet a random animal with its class, habitat and a fun fact, with filters.Word Guess GameGuess the hidden five-letter word in six tries. Unlimited games, stats and hard mode.Rising Sign CalculatorFind your ascendant sign and degree from birth date, time and place.Random Movie PickerCan't decide what to watch? Pick a random film by genre, decade and runtime.HangmanClassic friendly hangman word game with categories, hints and difficulty levels.Tarot Card ReadingDraw a free tarot spread from a full 78-card deck with upright and reversed meanings.Random Food PickerCan't decide what to eat? Spin a cuisine wheel and get a dish that fits your diet.Memory Card GameFlip cards and match emoji pairs on 4×3 to 6×6 grids, with moves, timer and best scores.Fortune Cookie GeneratorCrack a virtual fortune cookie for an original fortune, lucky numbers and a daily pick.Truth or Dare GeneratorDraw clean truth or dare questions for family, teens or parties, with player turns.Flappy GameTap to flap a round chick through bamboo gaps and beat your high score.Baby Name GeneratorDiscover 1,700+ baby names filtered by gender, origin and letter, and save favorites.Would You Rather QuestionsRandom would you rather dilemmas in five categories. Vote and see your A/B split.Dino Runner GameJump cacti and duck buzzing beetles in an original endless desert runner.Pet Name GeneratorFind the perfect name for a dog, cat, bird or bunny by species, style and coat color.Never Have I Ever QuestionsClean and party never have I ever questions with a built-in point counter for players.Typing GameType the falling words before they land; level up and track your WPM and accuracy.Fantasy Name GeneratorCreate elf, dwarf, orc, dragon and other fantasy names from race-specific syllable rules.Chinese Zodiac CalculatorFind your Chinese zodiac animal, element and yin or yang from your exact birth date.Random Question GeneratorRandom conversation starters: icebreakers, deep, funny, work-friendly and kids questions.Math Quiz GameTimed mental math rounds with four operations, five levels, streaks and high scores.Username GeneratorGenerate cool usernames and gamertags by style, fitted to each platform's rules.Magic 8 BallAsk a yes-or-no question, shake the ball and get one of the 20 classic answers.Flag QuizGuess the flags of all 196 countries in four modes, from multiple choice to timed.Band Name GeneratorInvent band names for 14 music genres, or blend two genres, with album titles too.Writing Prompt GeneratorRandom story starters, first lines, characters, settings, twists and poem prompts in 11 genres.Map QuizFind countries on a clickable world map or name the highlighted one, by continent.Drag Name GeneratorFind your drag queen or drag king name: puns built from your own name in seven styles.Fantasy Creature GeneratorInvent original fantasy creatures with a name, body, powers, habits, weakness and danger level.Periodic Table QuizLearn all 118 elements: quiz symbols, names and atomic numbers or click them on the table.Rapper Name GeneratorTurn your name into a rap name in seven styles, from Lil and MC to trap, drill and emo rap.Lottery Number GeneratorSecure random quick picks for Powerball, Mega Millions, EuroMillions, Lotto and custom games.Spelling Bee GameMake words from 7 honeycomb letters, always using the center letter. New daily puzzle.Superhero Name GeneratorInvent original superhero names with powers, an origin story and a weakness.Secret Santa GeneratorDraw Secret Santa names with exclusions and send everyone a private reveal link, no sign-up.Jigsaw PuzzleTurn a sample picture or your own photo into a 12 to 150 piece jigsaw puzzle and solve it.Pirate Name GeneratorGet swashbuckling pirate names from your first name, plus ship names, in four styles.Raffle DrawPaste names, add extra tickets and draw one or many random raffle winners with confetti.Sliding PuzzlePlay the 15 puzzle and 3×3 to 6×6 sliding tile puzzles with numbers or your own photo.Couple Name GeneratorBlend two names into ranked ship names and couple names, from Brangelina-style to overlaps.Random Card DrawShuffle a 52-card deck and draw one or more random playing cards, with jokers and history.Mahjong SolitaireMatch pairs of free tiles to clear the Turtle and two smaller layouts, with hints, shuffle and undo.Age on Other PlanetsSee how old you are on Mars, Jupiter and every other planet, plus your next birthdays.Anagram SolverFind every anagram of a word or phrase: single words, multi-word anagrams and all sub-words.Scrabble Word FinderFind the highest-scoring words from your rack, with blank tiles, patterns and bingo bonus.Wordle SolverEnter your guesses and colours to see every possible answer and the best next guess.Crossword SolverFind words that fit a crossword pattern like c?t from the length and the letters you know.Word Search GeneratorMake a word search puzzle from your words, play it online or print it with an answer key.Pong GamePlay classic Pong online against the computer on 3 levels or with a friend, first to 11.Breakout GameClassic brick breaker game with levels, power-ups and lives. Play with mouse, touch or keyboard.Whack-a-MoleWhack the moles before they hide in 30 or 60 second rounds. Speed increases, best score saved.Simon Says GameRepeat the growing color and sound sequence. Classic memory game with strict mode and high score.Rock Paper ScissorsPlay rock paper scissors vs the computer in best-of matches, with stats and a lizard-Spock mode.GomokuGet five in a row on a 15×15 board against a smart computer or a friend.Battleship GamePlace your fleet and sink the computer's ships in this classic naval guessing game.FreeCellPlay FreeCell solitaire online with the classic numbered deals, undo, hints and auto-move.Mastermind GameCrack the secret 4-color code in 10 tries using black and white feedback pegs.Tower of HanoiPlay the Tower of Hanoi puzzle with 3 to 8 disks, or watch it solve itself in the fewest moves.Maze GeneratorCreate random mazes in any size, solve them with the arrow keys, then print or save as PNG.Sudoku SolverType in any Sudoku and solve it instantly, get step-by-step hints and check it has one solution.Bingo Card GeneratorMake printable 75-ball or custom word bingo cards, from 1 to 200 unique cards, as PDF or print.Bingo Number GeneratorFree bingo caller for 75 or 90 balls with a live board, auto-call timer and spoken numbers.Online ScoreboardKeep score for any game: big team scores, game clock, periods, fullscreen and sport presets.Tournament Bracket GeneratorMake single or double elimination brackets for 2-64 players, click winners to advance, print.Trivia Quiz300+ general knowledge trivia questions in 10 categories. 10-question rounds with a timer and score.Random Fact GeneratorGet random fun facts about animals, space, the body, history, science, food and more.Random Joke Generator200+ clean, family-friendly jokes: dad jokes, puns, knock-knock jokes and more. Tap to reveal.Random Riddle Generator150+ riddles with hidden answers in easy, hard and kids levels. Guess, get a hint or reveal.Team Name GeneratorGenerate catchy team names for sports, work, trivia nights and gaming, with your own keyword.Business Name GeneratorTurn a keyword and industry into brandable business name ideas, with a .com check link.Charades GeneratorRandom charades words by category and difficulty, with a round timer, team scores and kids mode.