Checkers
strategyHow to play Checkers
I play the orange pieces against the black AI. I tap one of my pieces to select it, then tap a highlighted dark square to move. Pieces move diagonally forward one square at a time.
When I can jump an opponent piece I must take the capture, and if another jump is available from the same piece I keep jumping in a chain. Reaching the far row crowns my piece a king, marked with a star, which can move and jump in both directions. I win by capturing all the AI pieces or leaving it with no legal move. Restart sets up a fresh board any time.
About Checkers
Checkers, known as draughts outside North America, is one of the oldest board games still in wide play. Its ancestor alquerque goes back thousands of years, and the modern 8x8 game on a chessboard settled into shape in Europe centuries ago. Twelve pieces a side, diagonal moves, forced captures, and kings that move backward once they reach the far row.
Checkers holds a special place in computing history too: in 2007, researchers at the University of Alberta announced that checkers is solved, proving that perfect play by both sides always ends in a draw. Humans do not play perfectly, though, which is why the game is still a live battle of traps, tempo and endgame technique. Here you play against the computer right in your browser.
Checkers strategy basics
- Control the center. Center pieces attack in both directions; edge pieces cover half as many squares.
- Keep your back row intact early. Those pieces stop your opponent from crowning kings behind your lines.
- Trade pieces when you are ahead in material; avoid trades when you are behind. Simplification favors the leader.
- Move as a phalanx of mutually guarded pieces rather than pushing lone checkers into capture range.
- Remember captures are compulsory. You can sacrifice one piece to force your opponent's jump and set up a bigger jump back.
FAQ
Do I have to jump in checkers?
Yes, in this and in standard rules, captures are forced: if a jump is available you must take it, and multi-jumps continue as long as more captures are possible from your landing square. Forced captures power most checkers tactics.
How does a piece become a king?
Reach the last row on your opponent's side and the piece is crowned. Kings can move and capture both forward and backward on the diagonals, which makes them worth roughly two ordinary pieces in the endgame.
Is checkers really a solved game?
Yes. After nearly two decades of computation, the Chinook project proved in 2007 that perfect play from both sides is a draw. In practice nobody plays perfectly, so wins and losses come from real mistakes, not fate.
Can two pieces occupy or pass through the same square?
No. Pieces move one diagonal step onto an empty dark square, and jumps require the landing square beyond the captured piece to be empty. Everything in checkers lives on the 32 dark squares.
