Checkers is a game of diagonal movement and jumping. Two players sit on opposite sides of a checkered board, each controlling a set of round pieces. You move your pieces diagonally toward your opponent and try to capture their pieces by jumping over them.
What is checkers?
Quick answer: 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.
Checkers is one of the oldest and most widely played board games in the world. It is easy to learn in a few minutes but rewards a lifetime of study.
The basic idea
What you need
- An 8x8 board of 64 light and dark squares.
- 12 pieces per player, placed on the dark squares.
- Two players who alternate turns.
Why people love it
The rules are simple enough for a child, yet the tactics of forced jumps and clever traps can challenge even a computer. That mix of accessibility and depth is why checkers has stayed popular for centuries.
Ready to put it into practice?
Play American Checkers now