Checkers online

The aim

Capture all of your opponent's pieces, or block them so they have no move left.

Moving and capturing

Pieces move diagonally on the dark squares, one square forward at a time. You capture by jumping over a neighbouring enemy piece onto the empty square behind it. If the same piece can jump again, it carries on in the same move.

Capturing is compulsory: if you can capture, you must. Squares you can move to are highlighted.

A piece that reaches the far row becomes a king and can move backwards too.

Rule sets

Russian: 8×8 board. Men capture forwards and backwards. Kings fly: they move any distance along a diagonal. You may choose any capture.

International: 10×10 board, 20 men each. Men capture backwards, kings fly, and you must take the capture that removes the most pieces.

Brazilian: international rules on an 8×8 board.

English (American): 8×8 board. Men move and capture forwards only; kings move one square in any direction.

Italian: 8×8 board. Men capture forwards only and cannot capture kings; you must take the most pieces, and prefer capturing with a king.

Draws

The game is a draw if the same position comes up three times, or after 30 moves each without a capture or a move by a man.

Which rules should I pick?

English checkers, called American checkers or draughts in Britain, is the game most English speakers learned: men move and capture forwards only, and a king steps one square at a time. It is the calmest of the five.

Russian checkers is faster. Men capture backwards as well as forwards, and a king flies along the whole diagonal, so one king can decide a game.

International draughts is played on a 10×10 board with twenty men each. You must always take the capture that removes the most pieces, which makes long combinations the heart of the game. Brazilian checkers is the same game on the small board.

Italian checkers turns the board so that the dark corner is on your right. Men can't capture kings, and when several captures are possible the rules say which one you must take.

Tips for your first games

Keep your back row at home as long as you can. An opponent who can't reach it can't make a king.

Move pieces in pairs and towards the centre. A piece with a friend behind it can't be jumped; a piece alone on the edge controls half as many squares.

Before every move, look at what your opponent will be forced to capture. Giving up one piece to take two is the oldest trick in the game, and it works in both directions.

With a friend or against the computer

Against the computer you play the light pieces and move first. Easy makes mistakes on purpose, Normal looks a few moves ahead, Hard looks much further.

To play a friend, press Play with friends and send the link. The player who opened the table chooses the rules. It works on a phone, a tablet and a computer, and nobody needs an account.

Which rules does the game use?

You choose before the game: Russian, international (10×10), Brazilian, English (American) or Italian. The page starts with the rules most common in your language.

Do I have to capture?

Yes, in every rule set capturing is compulsory. The game only lets you select pieces that can capture.

Can I play checkers with a friend online?

Yes. Press Play with friends and send the link; your friend plays the other side.

How strong is the computer?

There are three levels. Easy makes mistakes on purpose, Normal looks a few moves ahead, Hard looks further and rarely gives a piece away.

Can a man capture backwards?

In Russian, international and Brazilian checkers, yes. In English and Italian checkers men capture forwards only; kings capture in both directions.

Who moves first?

The light pieces. Against the computer that is you; at a table with a friend it is the player who opened the table.

Can a game of checkers end in a draw?

Yes: when the same position comes up three times, or when both sides make 30 moves without a capture or a move by a man.

Is checkers online free?

Yes. The game is free, there is nothing to buy and no account to create.