Checkers rules: read the capture before the move.

Start with the rules of this board

This Checkers board uses English draughts: captures are compulsory, and uncrowned pieces move and capture diagonally forward.

• Violet starts at the bottom and moves first.
• Kings can move and capture diagonally backward as well as forward.
• If any capture is available, an ordinary step is not legal. Select a capturing piece and a highlighted destination.

Other draughts variants can allow backward captures by men or flying kings. Use the rules of this board when planning a sequence.

Trace the whole exchange

Work through the opponent’s forced reply before you offer a piece, because captures are compulsory on this board.

1. Choose the move you are considering.
2. Find the capture it forces the opponent to make.
3. Check whether that capture opens a jump for you, and whether your jump continues.
4. Only then decide whether the exchange is worth it.

Compulsory capture is a tool, not only a rule

Because the opponent must take an available jump, you can often decide which of their pieces moves next. Offer the exchange you have already worked through.

Count both sides of the exchange

Work out how many pieces each side loses and what the board looks like afterwards. A move that gives up one piece to win two is a good move, even though it looks like a mistake at first.

Crowning ends the turn here

In this edition a piece reaching the king row stops there, even when a backward jump is available. Plan the new king’s first move for your following turn.

A forced reply is a planning tool

Because an available capture must be taken, you can often predict the opponent’s next move exactly. Use that certainty to look two moves ahead instead of one.

Look one capture further

A jump that continues is still one move. Follow the whole sequence to its end before you judge whether the exchange favours you.

If another jump is available after a capture, the same piece must continue. Reaching the king row crowns the piece and ends the turn, so do not plan an immediate backward jump with a new king.

Keep support close

Two pieces that defend each other are easier to manage than pieces pushed forward alone.

A leading man can be stranded

Advancing every piece as far as possible leaves gaps behind the leader. An uncrowned man cannot jump backward, so it may not be able to answer a threat from behind.

A king changes the count

A king moves and captures in both directions, so it can approach a capture from either side. Compare how many reply squares remain after a move, especially near the edge.

Edges limit a man’s replies

A piece on the side of the board has fewer diagonals available, so it has fewer answers to a threat. Count the reply squares before pushing a man to the edge.

Count reply squares near the edge

A piece with two open diagonals has answers to a threat; a piece with one does not. Make that count before you advance along the side of the board.

Draws exist on this board

This edition recognises repeated positions and long spells without progress, and ends the game as a draw. A looping endgame does not need a manual restart.

Kings are worth waiting for

A king can retreat, which means it can answer a threat from either direction. A man that has advanced too far has no such option.

Practice against either opponent

The computer searches several moves ahead, but the interface is the same in two-player mode. Try a shared-device game where both players explain the capture they expect next. Win by removing all opposing pieces or leaving the opponent without a legal move. This browser edition also recognizes repeated-position and prolonged no-progress draws; these end a looping game rather than forcing you to restart manually.

Inspect the whole capture sequence

Open Tic-Tac-Toe for a playable example from this collection, then continue with the Mancala Kalah rules guide. Browse the board strategy games collection as more games are added to the public library.