Checkers

English draughts on an 8×8 board: men move and capture diagonally forward; kings move one square diagonally in either direction and capture by jumping over an adjacent opponent into the empty square beyond. Captures are mandatory. Continue jumping with the same piece when another capture is available. Reaching the far row crowns a king and ends that turn. Win when the opponent has no legal move or pieces. Three repeated positions or 80 turns of king-only play without a capture produce a draw.

Drag a piece onto the square you want, or tap it and then tap the square. Either way the legal squares are marked while a piece is picked up.

Online rooms wait for all players, and both players see their own pieces on the near side of the board. Everyone must agree to a rematch. Leave, or disconnect, and that online board is cleared.

Why another piece cannot move

A capture takes priority over an ordinary diagonal step. When any of your pieces can jump, choose a capturing piece; the other pieces cannot make a quiet move. After a jump, continue with that same piece if it has another capture. In this version, reaching the far row crowns the piece and ends the turn, even if the new king could then jump backwards.

Look beyond the first jump

Count where your piece will land after a whole capture sequence, then check whether the opponent can jump it back. Keeping pieces close enough to protect one another is usually safer than sending one piece forward alone. Kings can move and capture backwards, but they do not fly across the board. Try the bot settings to practice, or choose the same-device mode to examine both sides of a position with a friend.

Questions players ask

Can I ignore a capture?

No. If any piece can capture, you must choose a capture. Continue jumping with that same piece while another capture is available.

Can a man capture backwards?

No. In this English-draughts version, men move and jump forwards. Kings can use either diagonal direction.

Does crowning continue a capture chain?

No. Reaching the far row crowns the piece and ends that turn.

Keep playing and learning

Try Reversi for positional play with flipping discs, or Four in a Row for short tactical threats.