Checkers was one of the first board games I ever learned, and it is still one of the easiest to teach in a couple of minutes. The pieces only move one way, the goal is clear, and you can be playing a real game almost as soon as the board is set. In this guide I walk through the setup, exactly how the pieces move and capture, how a king is made, and how the game is won. You can follow along in the browser as you read.
What Checkers is
Checkers, also called draughts, is a two player game on an eight by eight board. Each side starts with twelve pieces and tries to capture all of the other side's pieces or block them so they cannot move. It is pure strategy with no dice and no hidden cards, so everything you need to think about is right there on the board. You can play Checkers free here against the computer while you learn.
Setting up the board
The setup is quick once you know the one rule that matters: everything happens on the dark squares.
- Place the board so each player has a light square in their bottom right corner.
- Each player puts twelve pieces on the dark squares of the three rows closest to them.
- That leaves two empty rows in the middle where the action begins.
- One player has the darker pieces and the other has the lighter ones. The darker side usually moves first.
How pieces move
A normal piece moves diagonally forward one square at a time, always staying on the dark squares. Forward means toward your opponent's side, so your pieces only advance, they never slide backward. You can move to any open diagonal square in front of you. That is the entire movement rule for a regular piece, which is why the game is so easy to pick up.
How capturing works
Capturing is where Checkers gets interesting. If an opponent's piece sits on a diagonal square next to yours, and the square just beyond it is empty, you jump over their piece and land in that empty square. The piece you jumped is removed from the board.
- Jumps can chain. If your landing square sets up another jump, you keep going in the same turn, capturing multiple pieces in one move.
- Captures are usually forced. In most rules, if you can jump you must jump. This single rule shapes a lot of the strategy.
- Regular pieces only jump forward, the same direction they move.
Kings and how they are made
When one of your pieces reaches the far row on your opponent's side, it becomes a king. You stack a second piece on top to mark it, and online the game crowns it for you. A king is far more powerful because it can move and capture both forward and backward along the diagonals. Getting a piece crowned is often the turning point of a game, so racing to the back row is a goal in itself.
How to win
You win in one of two ways. The first is by capturing every one of your opponent's pieces so they have nothing left on the board. The second is by trapping them, where they still have pieces but none of them can legally move. Both count as a full win. If neither side can make progress, the game can end in a draw.
A few beginner tips
To get started on the right foot, try these:
- Push pieces toward the center early, since edge pieces have fewer options.
- Keep your back row intact for a while to block easy promotions.
- Think before every jump, because a forced capture can walk you into a worse trade.
- Aim to crown a king, then use its backward movement to dominate the board.
Ready to play
That is everything you need to start. Set the pieces on the dark squares, move diagonally forward, jump when you can, and chase that first king. The fastest way to learn is to play a game, so open the free Checkers game and try a round. If you enjoy thinking a few moves ahead, you will probably also like Chess and the head to head challenge of Connect Four.