Checkers
Jump your way across the board and clear it out.
How to play
Capture all of your opponent’s pieces — or leave them with no legal move.
How a turn works
- Move one of your pieces diagonally forward to an empty square — plain pieces never move or jump backward.
- If an enemy piece sits beside yours with an empty square just beyond, jump it instead: that capture is mandatory.
- Keep jumping with the same piece while more captures are open to it — one turn can take several pieces.
- Reach the far row and your piece is crowned a king, free to move and jump in every diagonal direction from then on.
- Pass the turn. If your opponent is ever left with no legal move, you win; if 40 moves pass with no capture, the game is a draw.
Key rules
- Capturing is mandatory whenever a jump exists — if any of your pieces can jump, no simple move is allowed that turn.
- A piece keeps jumping with the same piece while another capture remains available to it, and the whole chain counts as one turn.
- A piece that is crowned stops its turn immediately, even if another jump would still be available — plan around losing that jump.
- You lose when it is your turn and you have no legal move, not only when your last piece is captured.
- 40 moves without a capture ends the game as a draw.
Glossary
- Jump
- A capture: leap over an adjacent enemy piece into the empty square directly beyond it, and remove the piece you jumped.
- King
- A piece crowned after reaching the far row; it moves and jumps diagonally in all four directions, backward included.
Click or tap a piece, then a highlighted square to move or jump. Arrow keys navigate; Enter selects.
More Checkers rules questions →
Questions
Are captures mandatory in checkers?
Yes — capturing is mandatory whenever it’s available, and a piece that captures must keep jumping with the same piece while another capture is open to it.
How does a checker become a king?
Move a piece to the far row on your opponent’s side and it’s crowned a king, which can then move and capture diagonally in every direction, including backward.
How long does a game of checkers take?
About 15-20 minutes for a casual game; it can end sooner if one side runs out of legal moves, or draw after 40 moves without a capture.
Strategy guide
Checkers Strategy: How to Win More Games — How to win at checkers: keep your back row, control the centre, use mandatory captures to set traps, and convert an extra king in the endgame.
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