Checkers Online: Play Draughts in Your Browser
Checkers, also called draughts, is a two-player strategy board game played on the 32 dark squares of an 8×8 board. Each side has 12 men that move diagonally and capture by jumping over enemy pieces, and you win when your opponent cannot move. Play it free against the AI, a friend by link or a random opponent.
Rules on this page: American checkers
- Play vs AIThree levels: Easy, Normal, Hard
- Random match1:1 against someone anywhere
- Play a friendInvite one friend with a link
Checkers at a glance
- Players
- 2
- Board
- 8×8; play on the 32 dark squares
- Pieces
- 12 men each
- First move
- Black (dark pieces) moves first
- Capturing
- Compulsory; men capture forward only; you may choose any capture
- Kings
- A man that reaches the far row is crowned; kings move one square diagonally in any direction
- Goal
- Leave your opponent with no legal move: capture or block all their pieces
- Draws
- Same position three times, or 40 moves each without a capture or a man move
How to play checkers
Black moves first. Men move one square diagonally forward and capture by jumping over an enemy piece to the empty square behind it; capturing is compulsory, and a multi-jump is one move. A man that reaches the far row becomes a king, which moves and captures one square diagonally in any direction. You win when your opponent has no legal move left.
Full rules and FAQ How capturing works Kings and crowning Other kinds of checkers
Checkers vs chess
Both use an 8×8 board, but checkers has one kind of piece, plays only on the dark squares, makes captures compulsory, and you win by leaving your opponent without a move instead of checkmating a king.