Play Pool Checkers Online
The American club favorite with flying kings and free backward capturesEnjoy a free, no-signup game of Pool Checkers right in your browser. The American club favorite with flying kings and free backward captures Face a computer opponent tuned to three strengths - Easy, Medium and Hard - or invite a friend to a live game on a shared board. Nothing to install, nothing to pay: just open the board and start moving.
Pool belongs to the Standard branch of the draughts family and is played on a 8×8 board with 12 per side. Long a fixture of clubs across the American South and city parks. Below the board you will find the full rules, a step-by-step how-to, strategy tips and answers to the questions players ask most.
About Pool Checkers
Pool Checkers, also called American Pool Checkers, is the club and streetside variant that has thrived for generations across the American South. It keeps the familiar eight by eight board and twelve men a side, but upgrades the pieces with two powerful rules borrowed from the wider draughts world. Men march forward yet capture in both directions, and kings are flying, gliding freely along open diagonals and choosing where to settle after a jump. Capturing is mandatory, but any legal jump satisfies the rule, so unlike international draughts there is no obligation to take the largest line. A man that reaches the king row by jumping is crowned and the turn ends, which keeps promotion crisp and prevents the runaway mid-jump chains seen in Russian play. The result is a fast, aggressive game beloved in park clubs and competitive circles alike.
Pool Checkers at a glance
| Goal | Capture or block every enemy piece on the eight by eight board. |
|---|---|
| Board | 8×8 |
| Pieces | 12 per side |
| Kings | Flying (long-range) |
| Capturing | Forced; men both ways; any |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Family | Standard checkers |
| Good to know | Long a fixture of clubs across the American South and city parks. |
How to play Pool Checkers
Set up the board
Set your twelve men on the dark squares of the three rows nearest you, leaving the two central rows open. The starting picture looks just like American Checkers, but the pieces will fight very differently.
Moving your men
Men advance one square diagonally forward to an empty dark square. They never walk backward, yet because they can capture backward, an enemy man behind your line is still a live threat.
Capturing pieces
Jump an adjacent enemy piece in any diagonal direction into the empty square beyond. Captures are forced, but with no maximum rule you are free to choose whichever available jump best fits your plan.
Crowning kings
When a man reaches the far row, including by a jump, it is crowned and your turn ends right there. From then on the flying king can slide and capture along the full length of any open diagonal.
Winning the game
You win by capturing all the enemy pieces or by blocking them so they cannot move. Flying kings make even material down positions dangerous, so a single loose piece can flip the game.
The story of Pool Checkers
Pool Checkers grew out of the American draughts scene as players sought a livelier game than the forward-only English rules allowed. By adopting backward captures for men and the flying king, they created a faster, more aggressive contest while keeping the familiar 64-square board.
The variant took especially deep root across the American South and in urban park culture, where outdoor tables hosted spirited matches and produced a lineage of skilled club players. A dedicated organization emerged to run national tournaments and crown champions.
Pool Checkers remains a proud part of American checkers heritage, celebrated for its social, competitive club life. Online play has broadened its reach, letting a new generation learn the flying king and backward capture that give the game its distinctive punch.
Pool strategy: how to win more games
- Use backward captures to defend squares your forward-only men cannot reach.
- Since any capture is allowed, pick the jump that improves your position rather than the biggest one.
- Keep your men connected so any enemy jump into your camp is met by a recapture.
- Control the central diagonals early to prepare a strong king later.
- Set traps where a forced jump drags an enemy piece onto a losing square.
- Trade down when ahead to reach a clean flying-king ending you can win by technique.
Advanced Pool tactics
- Master the lone flying king versus king-and-man ending that decides many club games.
- Engineer sacrifices that force a promoting recapture and hand you the first flying king.
- Use the free-capture rule to steer combinations toward the line that wins position, not just material.
- Learn the standard nets that pin an enemy king against the double corner.
- Time quiet moves so your opponent is forced into a losing but mandatory jump.
- Balance the two flanks so an enemy breakthrough on one side is answered on the other.
- Calculate deep backward-capture shots that catch opponents used to forward-only checkers.
Common mistakes to avoid in Pool
- Assuming men only capture forward - which lets a backward jump wipe out your piece by surprise, so instead read both directions for every man on the board.
- Handing a flying king a clear long diagonal - which lets it sweep and fork from far away, so instead keep a blocker on open lines whenever the enemy has a king.
- Grabbing a flashy multi-jump over the strongest one - which can leave you worse since no maximum is enforced, so instead pick the capture that leaves the best position, not the biggest count.
- Advancing men without backward support - which invites a reverse capture you did not see, so instead keep pieces paired so any backward jump can be answered.
Pool variations and related rule sets
Pool Checkers FAQ
What is Pool Checkers?
Pool Checkers is an American variant on the standard eight by eight board where men capture in both directions and kings fly. It has long been popular in the southern United States and in club play.
Can men capture backward in Pool Checkers?
Yes. Men move only forward but may jump either forward or backward, which is a major difference from American Checkers where men jump forward only.
Are kings flying in Pool Checkers?
Yes. A king glides any number of empty squares along a diagonal and can land on any free square beyond a jumped piece, making it far stronger than the one-square king of American rules.
Is there a maximum-capture rule?
No. You must capture when you can, but you may choose any available jump. There is no requirement to take the line that removes the most pieces.
What happens when a man crowns during a jump?
The man is crowned and the turn ends immediately. Pool Checkers does not use the Russian turn-of-the-king rule, so a freshly crowned king does not continue jumping that move.
How is it different from Russian Draughts?
Both use backward captures and flying kings, but Russian promotes and continues the jump mid-move, while Pool Checkers ends the turn on crowning. That single difference changes many combinations.
How many pieces do players start with?
Twelve men each, arranged on the dark squares of the first three rows, exactly as in standard eight by eight checkers.
Where is Pool Checkers most popular?
It has a deep tradition in the American South and in city parks and clubs, where it is played competitively and has produced many respected masters.
Can I choose a smaller capture over a bigger one?
Yes. Because there is no maximum rule, any legal jump is acceptable, so you can take the capture that best suits your strategy.
Why do flying kings matter so much here?
On the small board a flying king covers a long diagonal, attacking and defending many squares at once. Getting the first king is often a decisive advantage.
Is Pool Checkers hard to learn?
The rules are only a small step up from American Checkers, but backward captures and flying kings add real depth, so it rewards study while staying approachable.
Does the game often end in a draw?
Well-matched games can draw, especially in king endings, but the flying king and backward captures make sharp, decisive finishes common at club level.
Keep learning
- Pool checkers explained
- Backward jumps explained
- Full rules for every checkers variant
- The complete checkers and draughts glossary
Last updated .