How to Play Checkers

How to Play Checkers: Step by Step

If you are learning how to play checkers, start with the playable squares and follow one legal move at a time. These steps describe American checkers as used in this browser game.

1. Set up the board.

   Use an 8×8 board and the 32 dark squares. Each player starts with twelve checkers on the dark squares of the three rows nearest them. Leave the two middle rows empty. On this site, the first side is labeled Black; Black moves first. The checkers board setup guide shows the starting layout, and the rules guide includes coordinate details.

2. Find the pieces you control.

   In the browser game, choose Play AI to move black against the computer, or select 2 Players to share the board with someone beside you. Black takes the first turn: select a black checker, then choose one of its highlighted destinations. The status line names the side to move. In two-player mode, both people use the same board and take turns with the two colors.

3. Move one regular piece.

   A regular checker is often called a man. It moves one square diagonally forward into an empty dark square. It cannot move straight, sideways, or backward. Select your checker to see its legal destinations, then select one of those highlighted squares to finish the move. All checkers use dark squares for moves and landings.

   A simple move changes one square and ends your turn. The site highlights the possible destinations after selection, which helps you tell a legal dark square from an empty light square. If you select the wrong piece, select another piece of your color before making a move.

4. Take a capture when possible.

   To capture, jump diagonally over an adjacent opposing piece and land in the empty dark square just beyond it. If any legal capture is available, you must capture; you cannot choose an ordinary move instead. When more than one jump is available, you may choose any legal capture. You are not required to take the line that removes the most pieces. The choice is between legal captures, not between capturing and moving normally. Look at the empty landing square beyond the opposing checker; if that square is occupied or off the board, that jump is not available.

5. Continue a multi-jump.

   After a capture, look at the landing square. If that same checker can jump another opposing piece, continue with it. Keep making available jumps with that checker until it cannot capture again. You may not stop the chain early and move a different piece. Captured pieces are removed as each jump is made in this game.

   During a chain, the board keeps the turn with that checker and highlights the next landing squares. Do not click a different man to end the sequence. Once no further jump is available, the turn passes and the other side may respond.

6. Advance toward the opponent's back row.

   Each regular checker must reach the far side to become a king. Choose advances that keep your pieces connected, and check whether the destination is exposed to a forced jump. A man cannot retreat to escape a threat; it gains backward movement only after it is crowned as a king. Advancing one piece too far ahead can leave it without support. Compare its next landing square with the nearby pieces that can protect it, and avoid opening a clear path to your back row by accident.

7. Reach the far row to make a king.

   A regular piece becomes a king when it reaches the far row of the board. The turn ends as soon as it is crowned, even if the newly crowned king could appear to jump backward. On a later turn, a king can move one square diagonally forward or backward and can capture by jumping an adjacent opponent. A king is more flexible because it can approach from either direction, but it still moves only one step at a time. It cannot cross several empty squares in one move.

8. Win by taking pieces or blocking a move.

   You win if the other side has no checkers left or cannot make a legal move. A player with pieces still on the board can lose by being blocked. If neither side wins first, this site also declares a draw after each player completes 40 moves without a capture or a move by a regular man, which is 80 half-moves in total. There is no fixed clock for a game. A quick capture sequence may settle it early, while a position with many legal moves can last longer.

   After the game ends, the status line identifies a win or draw. Choose New game to return to the standard starting position. If local browser storage is available, an unfinished board may be restored when you return on the same device.

What You Need to Play

You need a checkerboard with eight rows and eight columns, plus 24 pieces in two colors. Each player has twelve pieces. Place them on the dark squares in the first three rows on their side. Many boards mark coordinates around the edge, but the game can be played without them once both sides know which direction is forward.

For a physical game, agree which color each person controls and who starts. For this website, Black moves first. The computer mode assigns black to you and red to the computer. In the two-player mode, people share one device and alternate turns. You do not need an account or a separate board for the browser game.

Some sets use red and white pieces, while this site uses black and red. Color names identify the opposing sides; the legal movement rules stay the same. Red and black checkers follow the same legal moves. Do not place any piece on a light square, even if it appears to be an open route across the board. A home set also needs enough room for both players to see the full board without turning it mid-game; turning it around can make each player's forward direction harder to track.

The 5 Rules Beginners Forget

A beginner can learn the basic moves quickly, then lose a turn by missing one of these rules. Keep this short list in mind while you look for a move:

• Use dark squares only. Regular moves, captures, and landing squares all stay on the dark squares.
• Capture when you can. A legal jump takes priority over every ordinary move, even if another move looks safer.
• Men move forward only. A regular checker cannot retreat to protect itself. Kings gain backward movement after reaching the far row.
• Finish the jump chain. If the capturing piece has another jump after it lands, continue with that same checker.
• A blocked player loses. You win if the opponent has no legal move, even when they still have pieces on the board.

If you are unsure whether a jump is available, scan each piece for an adjacent opponent with an empty dark square behind it. The board highlights legal destinations after you select a piece, and its status line says when a capture is required.

Checkers vs Draughts: What's the Difference?

In the United States, “checkers” usually means American checkers, also called English draughts. It uses an 8×8 board with twelve pieces per player. Men move and capture forward; kings move one square diagonally in either direction and jump one adjacent opposing piece.

“Draughts” can refer to several regional games. International draughts uses a 10×10 board and twenty pieces per player, while American checkers uses an 8×8 board and twelve. Similar names do not mean every rulebook uses the same setup; this website offers American checkers only. Check the board size and piece count before using another guide.

Practice What You Learned

Start with the main game or go straight to the practice board. Name a legal move before you make it, look for a required jump, and complete any chain with the same piece. After a man reaches the far row, end the turn and use king movement on its next turn.