How to play checkers online
- Tap New game to pick the rules: American checkers, international rules (8×8) or Turkish draughts. Then pick an opponent: the computer at one of six levels, or a friend on the same device.
- Tap the piece you want to move: dots show where it can go and rings show captures. Tap the target square or drag the piece there.
- Captures are mandatory. When you have to capture, the pieces that can do so glow. Under international and Turkish rules you must take the route that captures the most pieces. For a multi-jump, tap the final square directly or choose the path one landing at a time.
- A man that reaches the far row is crowned and becomes a king. You win by capturing all of your opponent’s pieces or by leaving them with no legal move.
- Stuck? Hint draws an arrow for a good move, and Undo takes back your last move along with the computer’s reply. Tap any move in the list to replay the game.
Free checkers against the computer
This is a complete checkers game that runs right in your browser. The computer opponent is a checkers engine written for uTooler: on every move it looks at thousands of positions with an alpha-beta search and follows capture sequences to the end. It thinks in a background thread, so the page never freezes, and nothing is sent to a server.
American checkers rules
American checkers, also called English draughts, is played on the 32 dark squares of an 8×8 board. Each side has 12 men, and the dark pieces move first. Men move one square diagonally forward and capture by jumping over an adjacent enemy piece onto the empty square beyond. If a jump is available you must take it, and you must keep jumping as long as the same piece can. When several captures are possible you may choose any of them. A man that reaches the last row becomes a king, which moves and captures one square diagonally in any direction.
International (8×8) and Turkish draughts
International rules on 8×8, also known as Brazilian draughts, use the same board and pieces, but men may also capture backward, kings fly any distance along a diagonal, and you must choose the capture that takes the most pieces. Turkish draughts (dama) is played on every square of the board with 16 men each. Pieces move straight forward or sideways instead of diagonally, kings move any distance along ranks and files, captured pieces are removed at once, and taking the maximum number of pieces is compulsory.
Six levels, from first game to expert
The Beginner and Easy levels look only a few moves ahead and often give away pieces, which makes them perfect for learning the rules. Medium punishes loose pieces but still slips up. Hard spots short traps. Expert and Master play at full strength, thinking one to three seconds per move, and will challenge experienced players.
Tips for beginners
Advance your pieces together so they protect each other; a lone runner is easy to pick off. Control the center and keep your back row in place for as long as you can, because it stops your opponent from getting a king. Since captures are forced, you can give up a piece on purpose to drag an enemy piece onto a bad square: this sacrifice is the most powerful tactic in checkers. When you are ahead, trade pieces, because every exchange makes your extra piece count for more.
Frequently asked questions
Is this checkers game free?
Yes. Play as many games as you like against the computer or a friend, with no sign-up and nothing to install. It works on phones, tablets and computers.
Do I have to jump in checkers?
Yes, in all three rule sets. Under American rules you may choose which capture to make, but you must finish the whole multi-jump. Under international and Turkish rules you must take the route that captures the most pieces. The game highlights forced captures and will not allow an illegal move.
Which color moves first?
In American checkers the dark pieces move first. Under international and Turkish rules the light pieces start. Against the computer you can pick either side or let the game choose at random.
When is a game of checkers a draw?
A game is drawn when the same position appears three times, when 25 moves pass with only kings moving and no captures, or when each side is down to a single piece (two kings, or under Turkish rules at least one king).
Is my game saved?
Yes. Your current game, your settings and separate win, draw and loss statistics for each rule set are stored in this browser on this device. Nothing is sent to a server.