Can checkers move backwards?
Only kings can. An ordinary piece moves and jumps diagonally forward only. Once crowned, a king moves and jumps diagonally in all four directions.
An ordinary piece, a “man”, only ever travels toward the opponent’s side. It can’t step or jump backward, even to capture. That is what makes reaching the far row so valuable: a king is free to go both ways.
Men versus kings
- Men: one square diagonally forward, or a jump diagonally forward over an enemy piece.
- Kings: one square diagonally in any of the four directions, and jumps in any of them as well.
Kings still move one square at a time here, not across the whole board. To get one, see how to get a king.
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