Checkers (English draughts) is a two-player game on an 8×8 board where each side starts with 12 men on the dark squares of the three ranks nearest them; Red moves first. Men step one square diagonally forward and capture by jumping an adjacent enemy piece, landing on the empty square immediately beyond it. Capturing is compulsory and a started jump chain must be completed, but a player may choose any capture — taking the most pieces is not required. A man reaching the far row is crowned a king that moves and jumps one square diagonally in any direction.
Play now — it's freeThe board is 8×8 = 64 squares; only the 32 dark squares are used, and the board is turned so that each player has a dark square on their near-left corner.
Each player has 12 pieces (men) placed on the dark squares of the three ranks closest to them — 24 pieces on the board at the start.
The darker-coloured pieces (Red on this site) always move first, and the players then alternate one move per turn.
A man (uncrowned piece) moves one square diagonally forward — never sideways and never backward.
It may step onto an empty dark square, or capture by jumping over an enemy piece on the diagonally adjacent square and landing on the empty square immediately beyond it.
Men capture only in a forward direction; any piece may be jumped, including a king.
If a capture is available, it must be taken — quiet moves are not allowed, even when every jump loses material.
You may choose which piece to jump with and which chain to take: unlike international draughts, the sequence capturing the most pieces is NOT required.
Once you start a chain you must finish it: while a further jump is available from the square you landed on, the jump must continue.
Jumped pieces are removed immediately, so squares freed mid-chain can be crossed or landed on later in the same move.
A man that reaches the far row — the kings row — is crowned and becomes a king.
A king moves one square diagonally in any of the four diagonal directions, backward included. Kings are not flying kings: they never slide more than one square.
Kings capture exactly like men — a short jump over a diagonally adjacent enemy piece — but they may jump in all four diagonal directions, and they may chain jumps in any directions.
If a man jumps into the kings row, the move ends there: the piece is crowned and cannot jump back out in the same turn.
You win when the opponent has no pieces left or no legal move on their turn (a blocked piece loses).
A game is drawn when neither side can make progress. On this site: king versus lone king is declared a draw immediately.
A draw is also declared when 40 moves by each player (80 half-moves) pass with no capture and no man movement — the classic 40-move rule — or when the same position occurs three times.
Each move has a 40-second allowance; an automated assistant plays when the time runs out.
Keep your back rank intact early on: the two corner men are the anchor that stops enemy kings landing behind you.
Move the centre men first — edge pieces (especially the a- and h-file corners) contribute little at the start.
Count compulsory jumps before you trade: offering a piece to force a bad jump chain is the heart of checkers tactics.
Crowned kings are strongest in the centre, where their four diagonal moves all matter.
When ahead in material, trade pairs (piece for piece) to simplify toward a won king endgame.
It is the classic two-player board game of the English-speaking world: on an 8×8 board each side starts with 12 men on the dark squares, capture is compulsory, and a man that reaches the far row becomes a king.
Each player has 12 pieces (24 in total), placed on the dark squares of the three ranks nearest each player. The darker pieces move first.
Yes — if any jump is available it must be taken. However, English draughts does not require the jump capturing the most pieces: you may choose any available capture, but the chain you start must be played to its end.
No. Men move and jump diagonally forward only. Only kings move and capture in all four diagonal directions — one square at a time.
A man that reaches the far row (the kings row) is crowned. If it arrives by a jump, the move ends right there; from the next turn the king moves and jumps one square diagonally in any direction.
No. In English draughts a king moves and captures exactly one square diagonally. Flying kings that slide any distance belong to international and Turkish draughts.
You win by capturing every enemy piece or leaving the opponent with no legal move. Games with no progress are drawn: king against king, 80 consecutive half-moves with no capture and no man move, or the same position occurring three times.
Yes — play free in your browser at checkers.yeeqia.com, no download and no sign-up required.
Yes, the site is mobile-first and runs in any modern browser on Android or iPhone, with a full English interface.