Checkers — Play vs Computer
Play checkers (draughts) against a basic computer opponent. Capture all enemy pieces to win.
How to play
- Click one of your red pieces to select it (it turns gold).
- Click a valid diagonal square to move the selected piece.
- If you can capture an opponent piece by jumping over it, you must.
- Reach the opposite end to promote your piece to a King (shown with ♚).
- Capture all black pieces or leave them with no legal moves to win.
Classic 8x8 checkers against a computer opponent. Capture all enemy pieces or leave them with no moves to win. Kings move in all four diagonal directions.
How it works
Checkers (also called draughts) is a two-player strategy board game played on the dark squares of an 8x8 grid. Each player starts with 12 pieces on the three rows closest to them. You move diagonally one square at a time, always forward, until a piece reaches the opponent's back row and is crowned a king — which can move diagonally in any direction.
Captures are mandatory: if you can jump an opponent's piece, you must. Jumping means leaping over an adjacent enemy piece onto the empty square beyond it, removing that piece from the board. If a further jump is available from the landing square, you must continue the chain. Capturing all of the opponent's pieces — or leaving them with no legal moves — wins the game.
The computer opponent in this widget plays a basic look-ahead strategy, providing a solid game for casual players and beginners. It will force you to think about protecting your pieces, building kings, and controlling the centre of the board.
Checkers is an excellent tool for practising tactical foresight, recognising forced-capture sequences, and understanding positional trade-offs in a board game without the steep learning curve of chess.
Worked example
Promote a piece to king
- Start the game and move a piece in the leftmost column straight toward the opponent's back row.
- If the AI threatens to jump it, protect it by positioning a friendly piece diagonally behind.
- Continue advancing the piece diagonally one square per turn.
- When the piece lands on any square of the AI's back row, it is automatically crowned a king.
Your king can now move and capture in all four diagonal directions, greatly increasing its power.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Missing a mandatory capture: the game requires you to jump when possible, so always scan the board for available jumps before moving.
- Leaving pieces unprotected on the edges of chains — the AI will often set up double-jump traps that remove two of your pieces at once.
- Racing to king without controlling the centre: pieces stranded on the sides of the board have fewer movement options and are easier to trap.
Key terms
- King
- A piece that has reached the opponent's back row and been crowned, granting it the ability to move diagonally both forward and backward.
- Mandatory capture
- The rule requiring a player to make a jump if one is available; you cannot skip a capture to make a different move.
- Chain jump
- A sequence of multiple captures made by the same piece in a single turn whenever further jumps are available after each landing.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I make a piece a king?
- When your red piece reaches the top row (row 0) or the AI's black piece reaches row 7, it becomes a king and can move in all four diagonal directions.
- Are captures mandatory?
- Yes — if a capture is available, you must take it.