Strategy
Four in a Row
Drop discs into the grid and line up four of yours before the computer does: across, down or diagonally.
- Keyboard
- Touch
Checkers
The classic board game of jumps and kings. Capture every piece of the computer, or leave it with no move.
AI
- You
- 12
- AI
- 12
Loading the board…
Click one of your red pieces, then a marked square. Arrow keys move around the board; Enter picks.Tap one of your red pieces, then a marked square.
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About Checkers
Checkers, also called draughts, is one of the oldest board games still played. Each side starts with twelve pieces on the dark squares of an 8 × 8 board. Pieces move diagonally, capture by jumping, and become powerful kings when they reach the far side.
Here you play the red pieces against a computer opponent, using the standard rules of English draughts: captures are compulsory, jumps chain together, and kings move both ways. Choose an opponent from Easy to Hard; your record at each level is kept in your browser.
How to play Checkers
- You play red, from the bottom of the board, and always move first.
- Click or tap one of your pieces, then one of the dotted squares to move it there. Pieces that can move are outlined.
- A normal move goes one square diagonally forward onto an empty dark square.
- Jump over a piece of the computer’s to capture it. If a capture is possible, you must take it.
- Reach the far row and your piece becomes a king, which can move backwards too.
- You win when the computer has no pieces left or none of its pieces can move.
Checkers controls
| Move around the board | Arrow keys |
|---|---|
| Pick a piece or a square | Enter or Space |
| Drop the selected piece | Esc |
| New game | N |
| Sound on or off | M |
| Pick a piece | Tap it |
|---|---|
| Move it | Tap a dotted square |
| Multi-jump | Tap each landing square in turn |
Checkers rules
Moving
Pieces only ever stand on the dark squares. A man moves one square diagonally forward onto an empty square. A king moves one square diagonally in any direction.
Capturing
A piece captures by jumping diagonally over an opposing piece next to it onto the empty square just beyond. Men only capture forwards; kings capture in any direction. The jumped piece is removed.
Capturing is compulsory: if any of your pieces can jump, you must jump with one of them. When several captures are possible, you may choose which, not necessarily the longest.
Multiple jumps
If, after a jump, the same piece can jump again, it must carry on until no more jumps are possible. On the board, pick each landing square in turn. A piece cannot jump the same opposing piece twice.
Kings
A man that reaches the far row is crowned and marked with a crown. Its move ends there, even in the middle of a run of jumps. From the next turn it moves and captures both forwards and backwards.
Winning and drawing
You win when the computer has no pieces left, or when it is its turn and none of its pieces can move. The same goes for you. If 40 moves each go by with no capture and no man moved, so only kings are shuffling, the game is a draw.
The computer opponent
Easy looks 2 moves ahead and sometimes plays a random move. Medium looks 4 moves ahead and Hard 6, always following a run of captures through to the end before judging a position.
Tips and strategy
- Keep your back row filled for as long as you can. It stops the computer from crowning kings.
- Move pieces in pairs. A piece with a friend diagonally behind it cannot be jumped from the front.
- Remember captures are forced: you can offer a piece to pull an opposing piece where you want it, then jump back with two.
- Control the centre of the board; pieces on the edges have fewer moves.
- Once you are ahead, trade pieces. Every even exchange makes your lead count for more.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to jump in checkers?
Yes. In the standard rules used here, if any capture is available you must take one. You may choose which capture when there is more than one.
Can a regular piece move backwards?
No. Men only move and capture forwards. Once crowned as a king, a piece can move and capture backwards too.
What is the difference between checkers and draughts?
They are two names for the same game. Checkers is the usual name in North America and draughts in Britain. Other countries play variants on bigger boards or with flying kings.
Can I play against a friend?
Not yet. Checkers on Aback Games is played against a computer opponent at three levels.
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