Black moves first. Men move diagonally forward one square. If you can jump an opponent's piece you must — land on the empty square beyond it. Multi-jumps are mandatory. Reach the back row to become a King, which moves in all four diagonal directions. Win by capturing all opponent pieces or leaving them with no legal moves. You can click a piece to select it, then click a destination — or drag and drop.

American Checkers is one of the oldest competitive board games still played today. Mandatory capture rules mean every jump opportunity must be taken — plan ahead or be forced into bad trades.

Tips

• Keep your back row intact as long as possible — it prevents the opponent from kinging.
• Advance pieces in groups, not individually — lone pieces are easy to trap.
• Force your opponent into mandatory captures that leave them worse off.

Setup and movement

Squares are numbered 1–32 (only the dark squares are used). Each player starts with twelve men on rows 1–3 and 30–32 of their side. Men move diagonally forward one square; kings (men that reach the back rank) move diagonally in either direction. Captures jump diagonally over an adjacent enemy piece into an empty square beyond. Multi-jumps continue from the same piece if more captures are available.

History

Checkers descends from the medieval Spanish game alquerque, which adopted the chess-style 8×8 board around the 12th century in southern Europe. The forced-capture rule that defines modern American Checkers (also called English Draughts) was codified in 16th-century England. Marion Tinsley dominated world championships from 1955 until 1995 with one of the greatest competitive records in any game. The American variant was weakly solved by computer in 2007 — perfect play from both sides ends in a draw.

Checkers strategy revolves around tempo and opposition. Tempo means whose turn it is in a cramped position — the side forced to move first often loses ground. Practice counting tempo: in any locked formation, the side whose turn it would be to break first is in opposition and is usually losing.

Forced jumps are the engine of every combination. A multi-jump can swing material by three pieces in a single turn. Set up jump traps by offering one piece to gain two — the classic shot. Conversely, watch for offers and decline material when accepting walks into a counter-shot.

In the endgame, two kings beat one king with the right technique — drive the lone king into a corner. King development matters more than men advancement once the board thins. The double-corner (rightmost dark square on your back rank) is the strongest defensive square because it has only one escape diagonal.

Do I have to take a jump if one is available?

Yes. Forced capture is a core rule. If multiple jumps are available, you choose which one to take.

Can a king jump backward?

Yes. Once a man is crowned, it moves and jumps diagonally in any direction.

What's the difference between Checkers and International Draughts?

International uses a 10×10 board, twenty pieces per side, and flying kings. American Checkers (this version) uses 8×8, twelve pieces, and one-square king moves.

How do I win?

Capture all of your opponent's pieces, or block them so they have no legal move on their turn.

Are draws common?

Yes at the top level. The game is a theoretical draw with perfect play. In practice, mistakes happen often enough that decisive games are the norm at most levels.

What's the huffing rule?

Huffing — penalizing a missed forced jump by removing the offending piece — is a historical rule no longer used. Forced jumps are simply enforced before the move is committed.

Chess — The deeper cousin — same diagonal movement on a richer board.

Othello — Capture by enclosure rather than jumping — a different flavor of strategy.

Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) — Asian chess with cannons, palaces, and a river.

Fox and Hounds — Asymmetric four-vs-one on the same dark squares.