Lethalgames

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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.

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
H
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How to play

  1. Played on the dark squares of an 8×8 board, twelve pieces each.
  2. Men move one square diagonally forward to an empty square.
  3. Capturing is compulsory: jump over an opposing piece to the empty square beyond, and keep jumping if you can.
  4. A man reaching the far row is crowned a king and may move backwards. Crowning ends the turn.
  5. 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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