Draughts (Checkers)
8×8 board, 12 pieces each. Move diagonally, jump to capture, promote to king at the far rank. Play vs AI or friends!
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is capturing mandatory in Draughts?
Yes. In standard English draughts, if any capture is available on your turn — by any of your pieces — you must make a capture. If multiple captures are available, you may choose which piece jumps, but you cannot make a non-capturing move instead.
What is the difference between a man and a king?
A man moves only one square diagonally forward and captures only forward. A king (a man that has reached the opponent's back rank) can move and capture diagonally in all four directions, making it much stronger. In English draughts, kings still move only one square at a time.
Can a king capture backward?
Yes. Kings can capture diagonally in any direction — forward or backward. A man can only capture forward. This is why promotion dramatically increases a piece's power, especially in multi-jump sequences.
Is English draughts solved?
Yes. In 2007, the game of English draughts on an 8×8 board was weakly solved by the Chinook project: with perfect play by both sides, the game is a draw. Casual play between humans remains rich with mistakes and tactical opportunities.
Explore Game Details
About Draughts
Draughts, known as Checkers in North America, traces its roots to 12th-century southern France and the earlier Arabic game Alquerque. Played on an 8×8 board with diagonal-only movement, it became one of the most widely played abstract strategy games in the world. Its English draughts variant is the basis of this online version.
Benefits
Playing Draughts develops forward calculation, forced-move analysis, and positional judgment. Because captures are mandatory, players learn to anticipate chains of jumps, evaluate sacrifices, and think several moves ahead under the constraint of compulsory captures.
How to Play
- Draughts is played on an 8×8 board using only the 32 dark squares. Each player starts with 12 pieces on the dark squares of their first three ranks.
- Ordinary pieces (men) move one square diagonally forward to an empty dark square. Men cannot move backward or sideways.
- Capture by jumping over an adjacent enemy piece to the empty dark square immediately beyond it. Captures are mandatory — if any capture is available, you must take one.
- If after a jump the same piece can make another jump, it must continue jumping in the same turn (a multi-jump). You may choose the order when several capture sequences are available, but must take the one that captures the most pieces if forced.
- When a man reaches the opponent's back rank, it is promoted to a king (crowned). Kings can move and capture diagonally in all four directions — forward and backward. If a man reaches the back rank in the middle of a multi-jump, it is crowned immediately and the jump ends there.
- A player wins by capturing all of the opponent's pieces, or by leaving the opponent with no legal move on their turn.
Strategy Tips
Control the center: Central pieces have more diagonal options and can threaten both sides of the board, while edge pieces have fewer moves and are easier to trap.
Keep your back rank: Leaving your back-row pieces in place prevents the opponent from promoting a man to king. Move them only when necessary.
Calculate multi-jumps first: Before moving, scan for forced captures and the chain reactions they trigger — a single jump can cascade into losing two or three pieces.
Trade when ahead, avoid trades when behind: If you have a material lead, simplifying the position makes your advantage decisive. If you are behind, keep pieces alive to maintain tactical chances.
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