Play Checkers Online Free
Jump, chain captures and crown kings · Works on mobile & desktop · No download
Checkers (known as Draughts in many countries) is a classic two-player board game. Each side has twelve pieces that move diagonally across the dark squares. Jump over your opponent’s pieces to capture them, chain several jumps together, and reach the far side of the board to crown a King that can move in every diagonal direction.
Checkers is free to play on PlayQuestHQ with no download and no sign-up. It works on phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.
Tap one of your pieces, then tap a highlighted square. Pieces move diagonally forward; jumps are compulsory and can chain. Reach the far side to crown a King, which moves both ways.
How to Play Checkers
- Choose Easy or Hard computer, or 2 Players. You play Red and move first.
- Pieces move one square diagonally forward onto dark squares.
- Jump over an opponent piece to capture it. Jumps are compulsory, and you must continue a chain of jumps if one is available.
- Reach the far side to crown a King, which can move and jump both forwards and backwards.
- Win by capturing all enemy pieces or leaving them with no legal move.
Controls
Click one of your pieces, then click a highlighted square.
Tap one of your pieces, then tap a highlighted square.
Tips to Win
- Keep your back row filled as long as possible to stop enemy kings.
- Jumps are compulsory. Use that to force your opponent into bad captures.
- Move pieces in groups so they protect each other.
- Kings are powerful; crown as many as you can.
Checkers Rules at a Glance
- The board has 64 squares and you play only on the dark ones.
- Each player starts with 12 pieces on the three rows nearest to them.
- Ordinary pieces move one square diagonally forward.
- Captures are made by jumping diagonally over an enemy piece to an empty square behind it.
- You win when your opponent has no pieces left or cannot make a legal move.
Kings in Checkers: Powerful but Short Range
A king in checkers moves one square at a time along a diagonal, forwards or backwards, and captures by jumping one square in any diagonal direction.
- How a king is made: a piece that reaches the far row is crowned and becomes a king.
- What changes: the piece gains backward movement and backward jumps, which makes it far stronger in defence and attack.
- What does not change: a king still moves and jumps one square at a time, and its jumps stay compulsory.
- Crowning ends the turn: if a jump lands on the far row, the piece is crowned and the turn ends. It cannot jump back out as a king in the same turn.
- Flying kings live elsewhere: international draughts and some app versions let kings fly any distance along a diagonal. Kings here are short kings instead, so that rule does not apply in American and English checkers.
Checkers Strategy for Beginners
Control the centre squares, because pieces there have more options and are harder to trap. Try to trade pieces when you are ahead, since a smaller board makes your extra piece count more. Keep two pieces on your back row for as long as you can so your opponent cannot easily crown a King. Before every move, check whether it lets your opponent force a double jump.
Endgame Basics: How to Turn a Lead Into a Win
Most checkers wins are finished in the endgame, when few pieces remain and kings do the work. The stronger side wins by shrinking the space around the weaker king until it runs out of safe squares.
- Keep your kings together: two kings working as a pair can herd a lone king toward the edge of the board, where it has fewer squares to run to.
- Control the escape squares first: take the squares the enemy king needs, and only then close in for the finish.
- Guard your own route home: a lone king left behind can be trapped, so advance as a group rather than one at a time.
- Respect the forced jump: jumps stay compulsory in the endgame, and one careless king can be dragged out of position by a forced capture.
- One king cannot beat one king: a single king against a single careful king is a draw, so convert your lead before the pieces run out.
When Is a Checkers Game a Draw?
A checkers game is a draw when neither player can force a win, and endings with only kings left are the most common reason.
- By agreement: both players can accept a draw at any point in a friendly game, shake on it and start again.
- One king against one king: a careful lone king cannot be trapped by another lone king, so this ending is drawn with sensible play from both sides.
- Blocked positions: if the last pieces lock together with no capture and no useful move left, nobody can make progress and the game is level.
- Official move counts: tournament rules add a count to king only endings, where a long run of king moves without a capture or a piece advancing ends the game as a draw.
- Level scores are normal: even strong players draw often, because perfect defence is easier than a forced win.
Good to Know
Are jumps compulsory in this checkers game?
Yes, jumps are compulsory in this checkers game, so a piece that can capture must capture. If the landing square offers another jump, the same piece must keep jumping until no capture remains. These are the standard American and English rules, and they apply to kings as well as ordinary pieces.
How does a piece become a King?
A piece becomes a King by reaching the far row on the other side of the board. From then on it can move and capture diagonally forwards and backwards, one square at a time. If a jump lands on the far row, the piece is crowned and the turn ends at once.
Can an ordinary piece jump backwards in checkers?
No, an ordinary piece cannot jump backwards in checkers, because ordinary pieces move and capture forwards only. Backward jumps belong to kings, which can jump in any diagonal direction. This forward only rule is a standard part of American and English checkers and is why crowning matters so much.
Can a game of checkers end in a draw?
Yes, a game of checkers can end in a draw when neither side can force a win. The most common case is one king against one king, where careful defence cannot be beaten. Players in a friendly game can also agree to call the game drawn and start again.
How do I beat the Hard computer at checkers?
You beat the Hard computer by using forced jumps against it and by keeping your back row guarded. Offer a capture it must take when the reply wins you two pieces for one, trade pieces while you are ahead, and crown a king first, because kings decide the endgame.
Is my Checkers progress saved?
Your best scores are saved in your own browser on this device. Clearing your browser data will reset them.