Checkers, also known as draughts, is a fun and easy game that dates back to the 12th century.

To
win a game of checkers, your goal is to capture or block your opponent's pieces so that they can
no longer make a move. You can move faster by jumping your opponent's pieces and removing
them from the board. The concept of checkers is simple, but you can use strategies to improve
your chances of winning. We'll teach you the rules and basic gameplay of checkers!

Determine who will have the rst turn. Before you set up the board, you need to choose who goes
rst. You can do this based on who won the last game, a coin toss, or by any other method. The
person who will go rst will take the black checkers and the other will take the white.[1]

Set up the board. Sit across from your opponent and place the board between you and your
opponent. The board is made up of 64 alternating dark and light squares which appear in 8 rows
of 8. There are 32 light squares and 32 dark squares. Place the board so that each player has a
light-colored square on the corner of the board on his or her right side.[2] Image titled Play
Checkers Step 3 3 Place the checkers on the board. Have each player place his pieces on the 12
dark squares in the rst three rows closest to him or her. Each of these three rows should have a
total of 4 checkers. Remember that checkers may only move in diagonal directions on the dark
squares.[3] Since the board has 8 rows, 6 of the rows will be taken up by the players' checkers
and two rows will be left open in the middle of the board. AD Image titled Play Checkers Step 4 4
Decide if you are going to time each other’s moves. In tournament checkers games, each player
gets ve minutes to make a move. If you want to time each other’s moves to keep the game
moving along, make sure that you place a timer near the checkers board before you begin a
game.[4] Part 2 Checkers Rules and Gameplay 1 Start the game if you’re the player with black
checkers. You can only move one checker one diagonal space forward (toward your opponent’s
checkers) during a regular turn. Checkers must stay on the dark squares. Once the player with
black checkers makes their rst move, the player with white checkers moves, and then you’ll take
turns.[5] 2 Jump your opponent's checkers to remove them from the board. If your checker is in
the diagonal space nearest to one of your opponent's checkers, then you can jump and capture
that checker. To capture a checker, move two diagonal spaces in the direction of the checker
you’re attacking, like you are hopping over your opponent's piece.[6] The space on the other side
of your opponent’s checker has to be empty so that you can move into it. If you have the
opportunity to jump your opponent's checker, then the rules state you must jump it. If you have
the opportunity to jump your opponent's checker in multiple parts of the board, then you can
choose which checkers you'd like to jump. If the new position you land in gives you a direct
opportunity to capture another checker, then you must keep going until you can't capture any
more of your opponent's checkers. 3 King your pieces when your checkers reach the end of your
opponent's side. To crown a checker and make it a king checker, simply place one of your own
captured pieces on top of it. The king can move forward and backward diagonally on the dark
squares, so it's easier for king checkers to capture your opponent's checkers.[7] Kings can still
only move one diagonal space at a time during a non-capture move. However, when a king is
capturing checkers, it can move forward and backward on the same turn. This would apply only if
a king were doing a capture move that required it to change directions, such as if two checkers
were lined up next to each other on dark squares in a horizontal line. To capture these checkers,
the king would have to jump forwards and then backwards. Some checkers sets have a crown on
the back of the checkers, so you can just ip a piece over once it is crowned to designate it as the
king. There is no limit to how many crowned pieces you can have. 4 Keep jumping and capturing
to win the game. Continue jumping and capturing your opponent's checkers until they are all
removed from the board. Once you have captured all of your opponent’s checkers, you have won
the game![8] A less common way to win is when all of your opponent's pieces are blocked so that
your opponent can't make any more moves. Part 3 Strategies and Tactics 1 Play an o ensive
game, not a defensive game. A beginner may be tempted to keep their pieces at the edges of the
board and to try to avoid the opponent's checkers as much as possible, but this is a mistake.
Work on capturing your opponent’s checkers rather than going out of your way to defend your
own. It’s okay if some of your pieces get captured as long as you capture more of your
opponent’s pieces. Be bold and try to capture your opponent's checkers whenever you can. 2
Move your pieces together. If you move a stray checker a few squares forward without moving the
rest of your checkers, that piece will be vulnerable to capture. Instead, try keeping some of your
checkers together, like a blockade. The center of the board is a good place to have a group of
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checkers protecting each other as they move forward. Just try not to move all of your checkers
towards the center because it will be hard to move them.[9] If your checkers move together, it will
be harder for your opponent to capture your checkers. But if your opponent does still manage to
capture your checker, then you'll have a piece waiting to capture his checker as well.