Captures are compulsory
Checkers online
Play Checkers (English draughts) online with a friend or against a bot. Capture your opponent’s pieces, reach the far row and crown a king.
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Checkers is played on the dark squares only, and its charm is compulsory capture: if you can jump, you must. That single rule is what makes traps work — offer one piece, they have to take it, and you take three back.
Players2 players
Game length10 minutes
How to play
- Played on the dark squares of an 8×8 board, twelve pieces each.
- Men move one square diagonally forward to an empty square.
- Capturing is compulsory: jump over an opposing piece to the empty square beyond, and keep jumping if you can.
- A man reaching the far row is crowned a king and may move backwards. Crowning ends the turn.
- You lose if you run out of pieces or have no legal move.
Strategy
- Hold your back row as long as you can. While it stands, no opponent piece can be crowned.
- An offered piece is usually a trap. Count the recapture before you jump.
- The edge is safe — a piece against the wall cannot be jumped.
- Advance in connected groups. A lone piece up the board is a gift.
Frequently asked
Is capturing compulsory in checkers?
In English draughts, which is what we play here, yes. If a jump exists, no other move is legal. Other national variants differ.
Can a king fly across the board?
Not in English rules — a king moves one square, it just may also move backwards. Flying kings belong to international draughts.
What happens if I have no legal move?
You lose. Unlike chess, stalemate is not a draw here; a player who cannot move has lost the game.
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