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Overview

Checkers

1-2 players · 5-20 min per session

Capture all opponent pieces or leave them with no legal moves.

Players: 1-2P Session length: 5-20 min

Board GameStrategyTwo Player

Goal & Core Rules

Capture all opponent pieces or leave them with no legal moves.

Black moves first, and regular pieces move diagonally forward on the dark squares.
Captures are made by jumping over an adjacent opponent piece to an empty square beyond, and captures are mandatory in this build.
Multiple jumps may be required if another capture is immediately available.
Reaching the farthest rank crowns a piece as a king, which then moves diagonally in both directions.

Vs Computer

Play against the AI on easy, normal, or hard.

Two Players

Pass-and-play local mode where both sides share one device.

Computer vs Computer

Watch two AI players finish a full game automatically.

Controls

Mouse

Click a piece to select
Click a target square to move/capture
Click the same piece again to cancel selection
Drag-and-drop to move

Keyboard

Dedicated keyboard focus controls are not currently implemented.

Touch

Tap a piece to select
Tap a target square to move/capture
Tap the same piece again to cancel selection
Drag to move

Beginner Tips

Keep your pieces connected so a capture doesn’t split your position.
Trade when ahead—simpler endgames favor the player with more pieces.
Watch for forced sequences: an opponent can ‘bait’ you into a bad mandatory capture.

Advanced Tips

Control the center to increase mobility and reduce forced lines.
Count tempos: who reaches king first often decides the midgame.
In king endgames, use opposition and blocking to restrict escapes.

Origins & History

Checkers (also called draughts) is one of the world’s oldest board games and is played on an 8×8 board with diagonal movement and jumping captures.

Sources

Checkers (draughts) — overview

FAQ

Are captures always mandatory?

Yes. This implementation follows mandatory-capture 8x8 American checkers rules.

How do kings move?

In this build, kings move and capture one square diagonally in both forward and backward directions.

Can a game end in a draw?

Not in this implementation. The game ends when one side loses all pieces or has no legal move.