How to play Checkers
Checkers is the classic diagonal capture game. Your pieces slide one square diagonally forward and capture by jumping over an enemy piece into the empty square beyond, chaining further jumps where they exist. Reach the far row and your piece is crowned a king, free to move and jump in all four directions. Play the computer at three difficulties or hand the device back and forth for two players.
How to play
- Pieces move one square diagonally forward into an empty square.
- Jump over an adjacent enemy piece into the empty square beyond to capture it, and keep jumping for as long as the chain continues.
- Tap a piece to select it. Dots mark ordinary moves, rings mark jump landings, and a corner wedge marks a piece that is required to capture.
- Reach the far row to crown a king, which then moves and jumps both forward and backward.
- Win by capturing every enemy piece, or by leaving your opponent with no legal move.
Tips & strategy
- Advance in connected groups. A piece with a friendly piece behind it cannot be jumped safely.
- Hold your back row as long as you can — the gaps you leave there are where enemy kings get crowned.
- Count the chain before you jump. A capture that opens a longer reply chain for your opponent is a losing trade.
- Trade pieces when you are ahead: with fewer pieces on the board, a one-piece lead decides the game.
- Forced captures are standard here, so you can steer your opponent by offering a capture that commits them to a square you want them on.
Accessibility
Moves, jump landings, and pieces that must capture are all marked with distinct shapes rather than colour alone, and the board plays fully from the keyboard.