How do you get a king in checkers?
Move a piece to the far row of the board to crown it. A newly crowned piece stops there for that turn, even if another jump would have been available.
A piece becomes a king the moment it lands on the row furthest from where it started: the eighth row for Red, the first row for Black. It is crowned and can move and jump in every diagonal direction from then on.
The stop-on-crowning rule
If a piece reaches the far row by a jump, its turn ends there. Even if a further capture would be open to the new king, it can’t take it this turn. It’s a detail some rule sets play differently, so plan around it: a crowning jump won’t continue into a second capture.
Why kings are strong
- They can attack pieces from behind, since only kings move backward.
- They are much harder to trap.
- An extra king usually decides an ending, so trade pieces when ahead.
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