Checkers & Draughts FAQ
Everything you might wonder about checkers, answered in plain language. From how the pieces move to why capturing is compulsory and what makes a king "fly", these are the questions players ask us most.
Tap any question to see a quick answer, or open the full guide for a deeper explanation with examples. New to the game? Start with the rules page or just jump onto a board.
What is checkers?
Checkers, known as draughts outside North America, is a two-player strategy game played on an 8x8 board where each side starts with 12 pieces and tries to capture or trap all of the opponent's pieces.
How do you play checkers?
Set up 12 pieces each on the dark squares, then take turns moving one piece diagonally forward; jump over an opponent's piece to capture it, and win by capturing or blocking all enemy pieces.
What is the goal of checkers?
The goal is to win by either capturing all of your opponent's pieces or blocking them so they have no legal move left on their turn.
Are checkers and draughts the same game?
Yes, checkers and draughts are two names for the same family of games; checkers is the common North American term while draughts is used in Britain and much of the world.
How many pieces are in checkers?
In standard 8x8 checkers each player starts with 12 pieces, so there are 24 pieces on the board in total.
How do you set up a checkers board?
Place the board so each player has a dark square on their near left, then set your 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three rows closest to you.
Who moves first in checkers?
The darker colored side traditionally moves first in checkers; naming conventions differ by region, and on Checkers.now the Red side always makes the opening move.
Is capturing mandatory in checkers?
Yes, in standard checkers capturing is mandatory; if a legal jump is available on your turn you must take it, and once a jump begins you continue as long as more jumps are possible.
How do kings work in checkers?
A king is a man that has reached the far row and been crowned; unlike a plain man it can move and capture both forward and backward along the diagonals.
Can you move backwards in checkers?
Ordinary men can only move forward diagonally, but once a man is crowned into a king it can move and capture backward as well as forward.
What is a flying king in draughts?
A flying king is a long range king used in variants like international, Russian and pool checkers; it can slide any number of empty squares along a diagonal and capture a piece from a distance.
Can you jump backwards in checkers?
In American checkers a plain man can only jump forward, and only a king can jump backward; some variants such as Russian and pool checkers allow men to capture backward too.
How do you win at checkers?
You win by capturing all of your opponent's pieces or leaving them with no legal move; good strategy means controlling the center, guarding your back row and using forced jumps to gain material.
How does a checkers game end in a draw?
A game is drawn when neither player can force a win, which usually happens by mutual agreement or when a fixed number of moves pass with no capture and no man advancing.
Is checkers a game of luck or skill?
Checkers is entirely a game of skill; there is no dice, no shuffling and no hidden information, so with perfect play the outcome is decided by planning rather than chance.
Is checkers solved?
Yes, standard 8x8 checkers was weakly solved in 2007 by the Chinook team led by Jonathan Schaeffer, and the result is that a perfectly played game ends in a draw.
What is the best first move in checkers?
There is no single winning first move because checkers is a draw with perfect play, but moves that develop toward the center, such as advancing a piece from the front row into the middle, are considered strong and flexible.
How do you get better at checkers?
You improve by learning the common tactical shots, studying king and man endgames, reviewing your losses for mistakes, and playing opponents who are a little stronger than you.
What is the difference between checkers and chess?
Both are two-player games of perfect information, but checkers uses identical pieces that move diagonally with mandatory jumps, while chess uses six different piece types with varied movement and no forced capture.
What is international draughts?
International draughts is a major variant played on a 10x10 board with 20 pieces per side, where men can capture backward and kings fly any distance along a diagonal.
What is Russian draughts (shashki)?
Russian draughts, known as shashki, is an 8x8 variant where men can capture backward, kings fly along diagonals, and a man that reaches the last row during a jump is promoted at once and keeps capturing as a king.
What is pool checkers?
Pool checkers is an 8x8 variant popular in the southern United States where men can capture backward and kings fly any number of squares along an open diagonal.
What is Italian draughts?
Italian draughts is an 8x8 variant with short range kings where men can never capture kings and, when several captures are possible, you must take the one that captures the most pieces and the most kings.
What is the double corner in checkers?
The double corner is the corner near each player's right hand where two dark squares meet, giving a defending piece two escape squares and making it the strongest corner for holding a draw.
What is huffing in checkers?
Huffing was an obsolete rule under which a player who failed to make a required capture had the offending piece removed by the opponent; it has been abolished, and today the mandatory capture is simply enforced.
How long does a game of checkers take?
A casual game of checkers usually lasts about 5 to 20 minutes, while tournament games played with a clock can run an hour or more depending on the time control and board size.
Is checkers good for your brain?
Checkers is a great mental workout because it exercises planning, memory, concentration and pattern recognition, and it is an enjoyable way for players of any age to keep the mind active.
Can I play checkers online for free?
Yes, Checkers.now lets you play checkers online completely free with no download and no signup, whether you want to face the computer, play a daily challenge or take on a live opponent.
How are my checkers stats saved?
Your basic game stats are stored locally in your browser so you can keep playing without an account, and if you sign in with Google your record is saved to your profile so it follows you across devices.
What is anti-checkers (giveaway)?
Anti-checkers, also called giveaway or suicide draughts, reverses the normal goal so that you win by being the first to lose all of your pieces or to have no legal move left.