Checkers Online: Play Free Against the Computer

Play checkers free online against the computer, or against a friend on the same screen: tap a piece, jump, crown your kings and take the board in English, international, Russian, Brazilian, Spanish or Turkish rules.

How to play checkers

1. Choose the rules, then whether you play the computer or a friend on the same screen. You play the side that moves first, from the bottom.
2. Tap one of your pieces, then a highlighted square, to move it. A man steps forward; a king is a crowned piece with more freedom.
3. When you can capture, you must. Only the pieces that can capture are selectable, and a multi-jump is played one jump at a time.
4. Reach the far row with a man to crown it. You win when the other side has no move left.

The rules on this board

Checkers is the American name for English draughts. The rest of the world plays cousins of it, and this game plays six. Pick one under the board before your first move.

• Capturing is compulsory in every set. A multi-jump must be finished. With the maximum rule you must also pick a sequence that takes as many pieces as any other; a king and a man count the same.
• Crowning during a capture differs. In English rules, and in Spanish rules on this board, the move ends when a man reaches the far row. In Russian rules it becomes a king at once and keeps capturing. In international and Brazilian rules a man that only passes the far row is not crowned. In Turkish rules it keeps jumping as a man and is crowned when the move ends.
• The Spanish board is set with a light square in the bottom right corner, and play is on the light squares, so the double corner is on your left. Every other diagonal set here plays the dark squares.
• Captured pieces come off the board after the whole move in Russian, Brazilian, international and Spanish rules, so no piece can be jumped twice. English and Turkish rules take them off at once.
• Turkish draughts uses all 64 squares: men and kings move and jump straight along rows and columns, never diagonally.

Draws and wins on this board

On this board, a player with no legal move loses, whether because every piece is captured or every piece is blocked. The game is a draw when neither side has captured or advanced a man for 25 moves each. The national rule books add other draw rules, such as repeated positions; this page uses the one counter in every set so a game always ends.

How to beat the computer

• Hold your back row: while your first-row men stay home, the computer cannot crown a king easily. Move them last.
• Take the centre: a piece in the middle can go either way, a piece on the edge has half as many moves.
• Use compulsory capture: offer one piece so the computer must take it, then jump two. Check where the capturing piece lands before you offer.
• Keep pieces in pairs: a piece with a friend behind it cannot be jumped.
• Swap when ahead: with one piece more, trading down makes every remaining piece count.

Easy plays any legal move at random, so it is a gentle game for children and first-timers. Hard looks several moves ahead on every turn, counting pieces, kings, how far the men have come and the centre, and takes your mistakes.

Frequently asked questions