Checkers
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About Checkers
Checkers is the classic draughts game on an eight-by-eight board. You play red from the bottom, moving pieces diagonally forward and jumping over enemy pieces to capture them. Reach the far edge and a piece becomes a king, which can move and capture in both directions. Captures are compulsory, which makes every move a small tactical puzzle.
It suits beginners learning the rules and experienced players who want a quick match. You pick from three computer difficulty levels or share one screen with a friend. A game usually lasts five to fifteen minutes. A good result is a win with many of your pieces still on the board, since that scores higher than a narrow victory.
How to play Checkers
- Choose Easy, Medium or Hard against the computer, or pick 2 players (local) to share the device.
- Select a piece with a pulsing gold ring around it. Only pieces that can legally move are marked.
- Move one square diagonally forward onto an empty dark square, or jump over an enemy piece to capture it.
- Take every capture the game forces on you, and continue a chain of jumps with the same piece when it is available.
- Win by capturing every enemy piece or leaving the opponent with no legal move.
Controls
| Keyboard and mouse | Click one of your pieces, then click a highlighted green dot to move there. For a multi-jump, click each landing square in turn until the capture sequence finishes. |
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| Phone and tablet | Tap a piece, then tap the green dot where you want it to go. Tap each landing square in order when you have a chain of jumps. |
Scoring
A win against the computer gives 1000 points plus 50 for each piece you still have, plus a speed bonus that shrinks the longer the game runs. A loss or a draw still gives a small consolation score. Two-player games do not record a score, so a strong result is a quick win with many pieces left.
Tips and strategy
- Keep your back row home for as long as you can. Those pieces stop the opponent from crowning a king, and kings are the most powerful pieces on the board.
- Since captures are forced, you can offer a piece on purpose to drag an enemy forward, then jump two of theirs on the next turn.
- Move pieces in pairs or small groups. A piece with a friend diagonally behind it cannot be jumped, because the landing square is occupied.
- Watch the edges. A piece on the side column can never be jumped sideways, so it is safe but also less active.
- On Hard the computer looks several moves ahead, so slow down and check what every reply of theirs could capture before you push forward.
Checkers FAQ
▸Why can't I make the move I want?
Captures are mandatory. If any jump is available, you must take one, and only the pieces that can jump will be selectable.
▸When does a game end in a draw?
If forty moves in a row pass without a capture or a regular piece being advanced, the game is called a draw.
▸How do kings work?
A piece that reaches the far row is crowned, shown with a gold star. A king moves and captures one square at a time but can go diagonally forward or backward.
▸Who goes first?
Red always starts. In two-player mode the players take turns on the same screen, and a label at the bottom tells you whose turn it is.
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