Checkers

Tips for Checkers

Jumps are compulsory in Checkers, and the game shows them, so before every move look at which jumps you are about to hand your opponent. The same rule works for you: offering one disc can force your opponent into a jump that leaves a bigger capture open for you on the reply. In English draughts you may choose which jump sequence to take when there are several, so pick the one that leaves your discs safest afterwards. Kings there move only a single square, so they are useful but slow.

International draughts changes the plan. Men can jump backward, kings fly along the diagonals, and you must take the line that captures the most, so count every option before you move and watch for a flying king crossing the whole board. Start with English rules against Easy, then open the puzzle box, where twenty-four endings ask Red to win in one move or two. Undo takes back a whole exchange, and H gives a hint when you are stuck.

How to play Checkers

The goal in Checkers is to capture all your opponent's discs or leave them with no legal move. You choose the rules first: English draughts or International draughts. Then pick red or black and play the computer at Easy, Normal or Sharp, or share the device with a friend.

In English draughts the board is eight by eight and each side has twelve discs on the dark squares. Men move one square diagonally forward. To capture, you jump diagonally over an enemy disc into the empty square behind it, and you can keep jumping in one move if more captures follow. Jumps are compulsory, and the game shows them, but you may choose which jump sequence to take. A man that reaches the far row is crowned as a king, shown as a second disc on top, and a king moves one square diagonally in any direction.

International draughts uses a ten by ten board with twenty discs each. Men can also jump backward, kings fly any distance along the diagonals, and you must take the line that captures the most discs. A man is only crowned if its move ends on the far row.

Tap a disc and then a highlighted square to move it, or drag it. On a computer you can click or use the arrow keys and Enter. U undoes a move, H shows a hint, F flips the board, P pauses and M mutes.

About Checkers

Checkers, also called draughts, is one of the oldest and most widely played board games, and most people learn it as children. The English game on the eight by eight board is the one known as checkers in North America, while International draughts on the ten by ten board is widely played in the Netherlands and in other parts of Europe. Kiloo's Checkers offers both rule sets, so you can play the game you grew up with or try the faster, wider one with flying kings.

It suits all ages. The rules are quick to learn, compulsory jumps are shown on the board, and Easy is a gentle opponent, while Sharp and the International rules give practised players plenty to think about. Two-player mode with a face-to-face layout works well with a tablet on the table between you. The puzzle box adds twenty-four hand-built endings to win in one move or two, and the move list shows the game in numbered notation.

Frequently asked questions