Checkers is a strategy game for two players on the dark squares of an 8×8 board. Each side starts with 12 pieces, moves diagonally and captures by jumping over the other side’s pieces, and a piece that reaches the far side is crowned king. In the UK and many other countries the same game is called draughts. A game usually takes 15 to 30 minutes. Play checkers online here for free, with a friend on one phone, tablet or computer, or against the computer at three levels. There is nothing to sign up for or install, and the game keeps working offline after your first visit.
How to play Checkers
- Each player has 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three rows closest to them. Black moves first, then the players take turns.
- A piece moves one square diagonally forward onto an empty dark square.
- To capture, jump diagonally over an opponent’s piece right next to yours, into the empty square just behind it. The jumped piece is removed.
- Jumping is mandatory. If any of your pieces can capture, you must capture on that turn. When several captures are possible, you choose which one.
- If the same piece can jump again after landing, it must keep jumping until no jump is left. The whole chain counts as one move.
- A piece that reaches the far row is crowned king and its move ends there. Kings move and jump one square diagonally, forward or backward.
- You win when your opponent has no pieces left or no legal move. The game is a draw if the same position appears three times with the same player to move, if 40 moves pass on each side with no capture and no uncrowned piece moving, or if both players agree.
These are the standard American and English rules. For every detail, including how they differ from international draughts, read the complete checkers rules.
Play Checkers on one device
This version is made for pass and play: two people sharing one screen. Type both names, tap Start and hand the device back and forth.
- Legal moves are shown. Tap a piece to see where it can go. When a capture is available, only the pieces that can capture can be picked, and the game reminds you that you must capture.
- Multi-jumps step by step. Tap each landing square in turn, or tap the final square straight away when there is only one way to get there.
- Kings and piece counts. Crowned pieces carry a crown, each player’s badge shows how many pieces they have left, and the last move stays highlighted.
- Pass screen (optional): turn it on in the setup or in the More menu, and a “Pass to …” screen appears between turns.
- Undo, rematch and score: Undo takes back a move. Rematch swaps colors, so the other player takes Black and starts, and a running score is kept for your session.
- Offer a draw: when a game is going nowhere, one player can offer a draw and the other accepts or declines on the same device.
- Auto-save and offline play: the game is saved after every move, so a refresh doesn’t lose it, and once loaded it works with no internet connection.
You can also play with a keyboard: the arrow keys move around the board, and Enter or Space picks a piece or a square.
Play against the computer
No one to play with? Choose vs Computer, pick your color and a level:
- Easy makes plenty of mistakes and often misses captures it could have set up. A good level for children and for learning the rules.
- Medium looks a few moves ahead. It takes free pieces, spots simple two-for-one shots and rarely leaves a piece hanging, but it can be outplanned.
- Hard searches much deeper, plays endgames carefully and punishes loose moves. Beating it takes real strategy.
The computer runs on your own device, so it works offline as well.
Quick tips
- Guard your back row. While pieces stay on your first row, your opponent can’t crown a king there. Many players keep two of those pieces at home for most of the game.
- Aim for the center. Central pieces have two forward moves and support each other. Pieces on the side edges can’t be jumped, but they have fewer options and are easier to block.
- Look one jump ahead. Because captures are forced, your opponent can offer you a piece to pull one of yours into a spot where they jump two back. Before you move, check what your opponent could force next.
The beginner checkers tutorial walks through a first game move by move and covers openings, trades, kings and the endgame. Despite the name, Chinese Checkers is a different game, raced across a star-shaped board. If you like pure strategy games, try Chess, the flipping battles of Reversi or the mills of Nine Men’s Morris next.
