Checkers
Capture all your opponent's pieces or block them!
How to Play
Goal
Capture all your opponent's pieces or block them so they cannot make any move.
Moving
Regular pieces move diagonally forward to an empty dark square. Kings may also move backwards.
Capturing
Jump diagonally over an opponent's piece to an empty square beyond it. Mandatory capture: if you can capture, you must. Multi-jumps are required. If several captures are available, you must take the one that captures the most pieces.
King
When a piece reaches the opponent's back row it becomes a king and may move and capture backwards.
Strategy & tips
Keep your back row intact as long as you can. While there is no gap there, your opponent cannot crown a king. Every piece you pull off the baseline opens a door that cannot be closed again.
Calculate capture chains to the end before you move. Because capturing is compulsory, opponents can be forced: a sacrificed piece that triggers a double or triple chain often wins two pieces back. That is the real tactical tool of the game.
Keep your pieces together. Lone advanced pieces get bypassed and collected later. A closed front advances slowly but offers few targets, because every piece is backed by another.
Variants
Optional capture
Capturing is voluntary. Forcing through sacrifice disappears and the game becomes more positional.
Flying king
The king may travel any distance diagonally. It becomes far stronger and endgames finish faster.
Backward capture
Ordinary pieces may capture backwards too. Advanced pieces stay dangerous longer and the front dissolves earlier.
How it works
1. Create a game
Click "Create Game" and receive a 6-digit code.
2. Share the code
Share the code with your friends – via WhatsApp, Telegram, or just tell them.
3. Play instantly
Your friends enter the code and you start playing immediately. No login required!
Origin
Forerunners are recorded in ancient Egypt; the modern version on a chess board arose in medieval France as Jeu de Dames, when the pieces of an older game were combined with the movement of the chess queen.
In 1994 the program Chinook won the world championship, and in 2007 the English version was solved completely: with perfect play on both sides every game is drawn. That makes draughts one of the most complex games ever solved.
Frequently asked questions
Must I capture when I can?
Yes, capturing is compulsory. That is exactly where the tactics come from: a well-placed sacrifice dictates your opponent's next move.
How does a piece become a king?
Reach your opponent's back row and it is crowned, after which it may move both forwards and backwards.
When is the game lost?
When you have no pieces left, or no legal move available.