Checkers · Rules & strategy

Board and set-up

The 8×8 board is placed with a dark square in each player’s bottom-left corner, and only the dark squares are used. Each player sets 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three rows nearest them. The player with the dark pieces moves first, then turns alternate.

Moving and capturing

An ordinary piece (a man) moves one square diagonally forward to an empty square. If an enemy piece is diagonally adjacent in front of it and the square beyond is empty, it jumps over and captures that piece, which is removed. If it can jump again from its landing square, it must keep jumping in the same turn (a multi-jump).

Forced captures

Whenever a capture is available you must capture. If several captures are possible you may choose any of them — you are not required to take the most pieces — but the chosen jump sequence must be completed. This site rings the pieces that can capture in orange.

Kings

A man that reaches the opponent’s back row is crowned a king (shown as two stacked pieces with a gold ring). Kings move and capture one square diagonally in all four directions. In English rules, a man that is crowned during a jump stops there: the turn ends.

Winning and drawing

You win when your opponent has no pieces left or no legal move on their turn. The game is drawn if 40 moves by each side (80 turns) pass without a capture or a man moving, or if the same position with the same player to move occurs three times. Online games allow 60 seconds per move; running out of time loses.

Russian rules (optional)

When you create a game you can choose Russian rules: ① men may also capture backwards (they still move forwards only); ② kings are flying kings that travel any distance along a diagonal, capture a piece far away and land on any empty square beyond it — but if one of those landing squares allows a further capture, the king must land there; ③ a man that reaches the back row in the middle of a capture is crowned at once and continues capturing as a king. Captured pieces are removed at the end of the move, so no piece can be jumped twice. On this site, dark moves first under both rule sets.

Guard your back row

While men remain on your back row, it is hard for your opponent to crown a king. The two central back-row pieces are especially worth keeping until late in the game — an early enemy king swings the balance dramatically.

Turn forced captures into traps

Because captures are compulsory, you can offer a piece on purpose: your opponent must take it, and the capture drags their piece onto a square from which you jump two or three in return. Before every move, ask “if they take this, what do I take next?”

Centre and support

Pieces in the centre can go either way and stay active. Keep your men supporting each other so there are no empty squares behind them to jump into. Pieces crowded on one edge quickly run out of moves.

Trade when ahead — and use the AI

When you are ahead in material, even exchanges favour you: the fewer pieces remain, the bigger your advantage. Easy looks two moves ahead and often slips, Normal reads about five moves, and Hard searches as deep as its time allows.

FAQ