About Checkers

Checkers has been played in recognisable form for centuries and is still one of the first strategy games most people learn. The version here is the one used in the United States and, under the name English draughts, in Britain and Ireland. Players in India often know it simply as draughts or dam.

The rules follow the standard game. Pieces sit on the dark squares, red starts at the bottom and moves first, and black starts at the top. Ordinary pieces, called men, move and capture diagonally forward only. A man that reaches the far row is crowned a king and can then move and capture in both directions, one square at a time.

Captures are compulsory. If any jump is available you must take one, and a piece that can keep jumping must continue until it has no further capture. When several different captures are possible you are free to choose between them. A man that is crowned during a jump stops there. Legal moves are highlighted, so the forced-jump rule is easy to follow.

You win by capturing every opposing piece or leaving your opponent with no legal move. A game is drawn if 80 consecutive moves pass, 40 by each side, with no capture and no new king. Each move has a 60-second limit.

How to play Checkers

The aim is to capture all of your opponent's pieces or block them so they cannot move.
Each player starts with 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three rows nearest to them. Red moves first.
A man moves one square diagonally forward onto an empty dark square.
To capture, jump diagonally over an adjacent enemy piece into the empty square directly behind it. The jumped piece is removed. Men capture forward only.
Capturing is mandatory. If a jump is available you must jump, and if the same piece can jump again it must keep going.
A man that reaches the far row becomes a king and its move ends. Kings move and capture one square diagonally in any direction.
You have 60 seconds per move. The game is a draw after 40 moves by each side without a capture or a crowning.
A player with no pieces left, or with no legal move on their turn, loses.

Rules checked against the game on 2026-09-01.

Checkers tips and strategy

Keep your back row intact for as long as you sensibly can. Pieces on your home row stop the opponent from crowning kings.
Advance in pairs and groups. A man with a friendly piece directly behind it cannot be jumped from the front, while a lone runner is easy to pick off.
Use the forced-jump rule as a weapon. Offer one piece so that the compulsory capture pulls an enemy piece onto a square where you can take two in return.
Fight for the centre squares. Pieces in the middle have two forward moves, while pieces on the side edges have only one.
Get the first king. A king behind enemy lines attacks men from the rear, where they cannot capture back.
When you are ahead on pieces, trade one for one. Equal exchanges make a lead of a single piece more decisive as the board empties.

Checkers FAQ

Do you have to jump in checkers?

Yes. In this game captures are mandatory, as in official American checkers and English draughts. If any of your pieces can jump, you must make a capture, although you may choose which one when there are several options.

Can a regular piece jump backwards in checkers?

No. Men move and capture diagonally forward only. Only kings can move or jump backwards. This is the main difference from international and Russian draughts, where ordinary pieces are allowed to capture backwards.

Can a king move more than one square?

Not in this version. Kings move a single square diagonally in any of the four directions and capture by a short jump. The long-range flying king belongs to international draughts and other variants, not American checkers.

Can you keep jumping after being crowned?

No. When a man lands on the far row during a capture it is crowned and the move ends at once, even if another jump would be available to it as a king. It can use its new powers from the next turn.

How does a checkers game end in a draw?

The game is drawn automatically when 40 moves by each player go by without any capture and without a man being crowned. This stops endgames with a few kings chasing each other from running forever.

Is checkers the same as draughts?

Checkers is the American name for the 8x8 game that the British call English draughts, and the rules are identical. Other countries play different draughts variants, some on a 10x10 board with flying kings and backward captures.

How many players do I need for Checkers?

Checkers supports exactly 2 players. If a full table of real people isn't ready when you queue, MultiplayerHub fills the empty seats with bots instantly so the match starts without waiting.

Do I need to download anything or sign up to play Checkers?

No. Checkers runs entirely in your browser tab — no app install, no account, no email required. Pick a name and you're matched within seconds.

Is Checkers really free?

Yes, no catch — Checkers is ad-supported rather than pay-to-play, so there is no subscription or in-game purchase to unlock anything.

Can I play Checkers with a specific friend instead of strangers?

Create a private room from the Checkers page to get a shareable room code, or enter a code a friend already sent you to jump straight into their table.