Checkers
Checkers, also called draughts, is the classic game of diagonal moves and jumps. Capture all of the other side's pieces or leave them without a move to win. Play English checkers on an 8×8 board or International draughts on 10×10, against the computer from Easy to Hard, against a friend on the same screen, or watch the computer play itself. Click a piece and then a highlighted square, or drag it there. When a capture is possible you must take; the pieces that can capture are marked. Undo takes back a move and Flip board turns the board round.
How it works
- Choose the rules and a mode: play the computer as White or Black, play a friend on the same screen, or let the computer play both sides.
- Click a piece and then a highlighted square, or drag the piece there. When a capture is possible, the pieces that can take are marked and you must capture.
- Win by taking all the other pieces or leaving them without a move. Undo takes back a move, Flip board turns the board round, and the move list keeps the score.
How to play
The pieces stand on the dark squares and move diagonally. A man moves one square forward; a king moves along any diagonal. You capture by jumping over an enemy piece to the empty square beyond it, and if the same piece can jump again, it must go on jumping. Capturing is compulsory. A man that reaches the far row becomes a king and gets a crown.
Two sets of rules
English checkers is played on 8×8 with twelve pieces each and Black moving first. Men only capture forwards and kings move one square at a time. In International draughts, on 10×10 with twenty pieces each and White moving first, men may also capture backwards, kings fly over any number of empty squares, and you must take the largest number of pieces you can.
Winning and draws
You win when the other side has no pieces left or cannot move. The game is drawn when the same position appears for the third time, or after a long run of moves in which only kings move and nothing is captured: forty moves each in English checkers and twenty-five in International draughts.
Frequently asked questions
How strong is the computer?
Easy looks two moves ahead and makes mistakes, Medium searches six moves deep, and Hard thinks for about two seconds a move with an iterative-deepening search. Hard is a real challenge for most club players.
Do I have to capture?
Yes. In both sets of rules capturing is compulsory and a multi-jump must be finished. In International draughts you must also take the most pieces. The pieces that can capture are marked on the board.
Can I play against a friend?
Yes. Choose Two players and take turns on the same screen. Flip board turns the board round so the side to move can sit at the bottom.
Can I watch the computer play itself?
Yes. Choose Computer against computer. The Speed slider sets how fast it moves, and Pause stops the game so you can look at the position.
Is it free?
Yes. It is free, runs in your browser and needs no sign-up. You can also save the board as a PNG.
Related tools
About Checkers - History, Rules, Variants and Chinook
A short guide to checkers and draughts: where the game came from, the rules of English checkers and International draughts, how the computer plays, and how Chinook proved in 2007 that checkers is a draw.
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Open PictorX in your browser — no install, no credit card required to start.
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