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What is Checkers?
Checkers (known as Draughts in the UK) is one of the world's oldest board games, with a history dating back over 5,000 years. It's a two-player strategy game played on an 8×8 board. Simple to learn but surprisingly deep, Checkers has been studied by mathematicians and is beloved in competitions worldwide.
Board setup
The checkerboard has 64 squares alternating between light and dark. All play happens on the dark squares only. Each player starts with 12 pieces placed on the dark squares of the three rows closest to them.
By convention, the light pieces are placed at the bottom and dark pieces at the top. The light player always moves first.
Moving your pieces
Regular pieces (called "men") can only move forward diagonally, one square at a time, to an empty dark square. They cannot move backward until promoted to King.
📌 Key rule: pieces always move diagonally — never straight ahead, never sideways. This is one of the most common mistakes for beginners.
Captures and jumps
A piece captures by jumping over an opponent's piece to the empty square immediately beyond it. The captured piece is removed from the board.
Multiple jumps: if after a jump another jump is possible with the same piece, you must continue jumping in the same turn (multi-jump). You only stop when no further jumps are available.
Captures are mandatory! If a jump is available, you must take it. If multiple jumps are available, you may choose which piece to jump with, but you must capture the maximum number of pieces possible in one turn.
💡 Tip: Use mandatory captures to your advantage. Sometimes a "sacrifice" — allowing your opponent to capture one piece — sets up a multi-jump that takes two or three of their pieces.
Becoming a King
When a piece reaches the last row on the opponent's side (the "king row"), it is crowned and becomes a King. A King is typically marked by stacking another piece on top.
Kings can move and capture in all four diagonal directions (forward and backward). In the Brazilian variant, Kings can also move multiple squares diagonally in a single move.
How to win
You win by:
- Capturing all of your opponent's pieces, OR
- Leaving your opponent with no legal moves (all pieces blocked)
The game is a draw if both players agree, if the same position repeats three times, or if there have been too many moves without a capture.
Winning strategies
Control the center
Pieces in the center have more mobility and more capture options. Try to control squares d4, d6, e5 early in the game and push your opponent toward the edges.
Protect your back row
Keep pieces on your back row as long as possible — they prevent your opponent from kinging. Only move them when absolutely necessary.
Sacrifice to gain multi-jumps
Sometimes giving up one piece to create a forced sequence where you capture two or three is the best move. Calculate before you sacrifice!
Race to king
A King is far more powerful than a regular piece. When you have a clear path to promote, prioritize it — but don't ignore your opponent doing the same on the other side.
Trade when you're ahead
If you have more pieces, simplify the game by trading. With fewer pieces on the board, your numerical advantage becomes easier to convert into a win.
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