The board is set
Checkers
A simple move. A deeper game.
Red moves first · Captures are compulsory
A simple move. A deeper game.
Red moves first · Captures are compulsory
Play Checkers against the computer or a friend on one device. Mandatory jumps, multi-captures, kings, hints, undo and three computer levels.
Player 1 moves first. Select one of your pieces, then a highlighted dark square. Play the computer or choose Two players in New game. Arrow keys move keyboard focus; Enter or Space selects a square.
If a capture is possible, you must take it. After a jump, keep using the same piece until no further capture is available. Hint suggests a complete turn; Undo takes back your last decision, including the computer reply.
Each player starts with 12 men on an 8×8 board. Men move one diagonal square forward and capture forward by jumping an adjacent opponent into an empty square. Kings move and jump one square or one opponent diagonally in either direction; kings do not fly.
Captures are compulsory, but you may choose any available capture sequence, not necessarily the longest. Reaching the far row crowns a king and ends the turn immediately, even during a capture.
You win if your opponent has no pieces or no legal move. A draw occurs when the same board and player to move appear three times since the last capture, or after 100 individual turns without a capture (50 per player). Promotion alone does not reset that counter.
Keep pieces supporting one another and look beyond the first jump: a tempting capture can expose a longer reply.
Protect your back row while building routes toward promotion. Kings are flexible, but mandatory captures can still force them into a trap.
Checkers, also called English draughts, is a diagonal capture game. This edition follows 8×8 English draughts rules, including forward-only captures for men and promotion ending the turn. All play runs in your browser; this game does not save personal information or send moves to a server.