onlinegamesbrowser.comHow to play
Both players begin with 12 pieces, placed on the dark squares of their first three rows. Pieces move diagonally forward, capture by jumping, and become kings when they reach the far side. Black opens the game.
- A normal move takes one piece a single step diagonally forward, to a free dark square.
- Capture by hopping over an adjacent opponent piece to the open square directly behind it. The jumped piece is removed.
- Jumping is compulsory. When a jump is available, the pieces that can make it glow, and nothing else is allowed. If several jumps are possible, you choose which one.
- Multi-jumps are part of the same move: keep hopping with that piece while captures remain, tapping or dragging it to every landing spot.
- Reach the opposite edge and your piece is crowned, which lets it travel and capture backward as well. Win by taking every enemy piece or leaving the other side with no move.
Controls
- Touch: tap to select and tap to place, or drag.
- Mouse: click to pick a piece up and click again to put it down, or drag and drop.
- Keyboard: Tab into the board, step across the dark squares using the arrow keys, and use Enter first to select a piece, then to drop it.
- Undo, Flip board and New game sit under the board. Against the computer, choose Black (moves first) or Red.
Tips
- Leave your back row in place as long as you can. It stops the other side from crowning kings.
- Pieces in the middle of the board have more moves than pieces on the edge.
- Keep pieces side by side so they protect each other against jumps.
- Since jumps are forced, you can offer a piece on purpose to pull an enemy piece where you can jump two.
- Ahead on pieces? Trade one for one. Each trade makes your lead count for more.
FAQ
Do I have to jump?
Yes. If any jump is available, you must take one, and the jumping piece carries on while it can. You don't have to pick the jump that captures the most.
Can a king move more than one square?
No. Kings step and capture like other pieces, one diagonal square at a time, but in every direction. Long-range flying kings are a rule of international draughts, not American checkers.
When is the game a draw?
Two ways: a position shows up a third time with the same side to move, or both players make 40 moves each where only kings move and nothing is captured. The game declares these automatically.
Can I play checkers at school?
Checkers runs in an ordinary browser tab with nothing to install, so a school Chromebook can play it. Whether the page opens on a school network is the school's call, and if it is blocked there, only the IT team can change that.
