Checkers Rules - How to Play English Draughts
This board uses English draughts: diagonal moves on dark squares, compulsory captures, and kings that move one square at a time.
The board, pieces, and first turn
Checkers is played on the 32 dark squares of an 8×8 board. Each side starts with 12 men. In this version black starts at the bottom and moves upward; white starts at the top and moves downward. Light squares are never used. A normal move takes one man diagonally forward to an empty adjacent dark square. Players alternate turns, so it is useful to look at both diagonals before moving a piece into a crowded area.
Captures are compulsory
A capture is a jump: your piece goes diagonally over an adjacent enemy piece and lands on the empty dark square immediately beyond it. The jumped piece is removed. If any capture exists anywhere on your side, you must make a capture; you cannot choose an ordinary move instead. When several captures exist, the board lets you choose among legal capture paths. That rule makes a seemingly safe piece vulnerable whenever it stands beside an empty landing square.
Multiple jumps in one turn
After a jump, check whether the same piece can jump again. If it can, the capture continues with that piece until no further jump is available. A complete turn can therefore remove several enemy pieces and visit several landing squares. You may not stop halfway through a legal continuation to move another piece. Plan the whole route before committing: an early landing can force the next jump and expose your piece to a reply on the opponent's turn.
Crowning and king movement
A man that reaches the farthest row is crowned and becomes a king. Kings move one diagonal square at a time, but unlike men they may move and capture forward or backward. On this board, a man that reaches the crowning row during a multiple jump becomes a king and its turn ends immediately. It does not turn around for another capture that turn. A king is flexible, but it is not a flying king: it cannot slide over empty squares or leap farther than one adjacent piece.
Winning, blocking, and draws
You win if your opponent begins a turn with no legal moves. Capturing all their pieces wins, but so does blocking every remaining piece so it cannot make a quiet move or a required jump. Material alone is not the full story: two trapped men can lose against a single mobile king. To prevent endless shuffling, this board records a draw after 80 half-moves without either a capture or a crowning. A capture or promotion resets that count, so keep playing accurately rather than assuming an equal ending is already drawn.
Checkers rules FAQ
- Who moves first in checkers?
- Black moves first on this board. Black men begin on the bottom three rows and move toward row one; white begins at the top and moves downward.
- Do I have to capture when I can?
- Yes. If any one of your pieces has a legal jump, a quiet diagonal move is not legal. Choose a capture path when more than one is available.
- Can a man capture backwards?
- No. A man moves and captures only forward. A king can move and capture one diagonal square in either direction.
- What happens when I reach the far row during a jump?
- Your man becomes a king, but the turn ends immediately. It does not continue jumping backward as a new king on that same turn.
- How does a game end?
- You win when the opponent has no legal move, whether because every piece has been captured or the remaining pieces are blocked. This board also declares a draw after 80 consecutive non-capturing, non-crowning half-moves.
Practice on the live board
Start with the AI and pause before every move to look for a compulsory jump. Then try local play to practise seeing a whole multiple-jump route before you touch a piece.