Checkers

What is Checkers?

Checkers is one of the oldest board games: each player has 12 pieces on the dark squares of the board and moves them diagonally to capture the opponent's pieces. When a piece reaches the far side it becomes a king and can also move backwards. Play against the computer or with two players on the same screen, passing the phone or the mouse.

How to play

• White starts, at the bottom; against the computer you are White.
• Tap a piece that can move (circled in green), then the square you want to move to.
• Pieces move one square diagonally and only forwards; they capture by jumping over an adjacent enemy piece and landing on the empty square right behind it, always forwards.
• Capturing is compulsory: if you can capture you must, and if after a jump you can jump again you must carry on with the same piece.
• A piece that reaches the last row becomes a king (yellow crown) and the move ends; a king moves and captures one square diagonally in every direction.
• You lose if you have no pieces or no moves left; after 40 moves each with no captures the game is a draw.
• Points against the computer: win 100 plus 10 for each of your pieces left; draw 40; loss 5 for each piece you captured. No points are counted with two players.

Tips

• Keep your pieces together: a lone piece is easy to capture.
• Don't empty your back row too early: it stops your opponent from getting kings.
• Before moving, check whether you're offering a forced capture that helps your opponent.

Frequently asked questions

Is Checkers free?

Yes: Checkers is free and you can play it right away in your browser, with nothing to download and no sign-up.

Can I play Checkers on my phone?

Yes: Checkers works on phones, tablets and computers, with your finger, the mouse or the keyboard.

Can two people play Checkers?

Yes: choose “2 players” at the start and take turns on the same screen.

How do you play Checkers?

White starts, at the bottom; against the computer you are White. Tap a piece that can move (circled in green), then the square you want to move to. Pieces move one square diagonally and only forwards; they capture by jumping over an adjacent enemy piece and landing on the empty square right behind it, always forwards. Capturing is compulsory: if you can capture you must, and if after a jump you can jump again you must carry on with the same piece. A piece that reaches the last row becomes a king (yellow crown) and the move ends; a king moves and captures one square diagonally in every direction. You lose if you have no pieces or no moves left; after 40 moves each with no captures the game is a draw. Points against the computer: win 100 plus 10 for each of your pieces left; draw 40; loss 5 for each piece you captured. No points are counted with two players.

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