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How to play checkers: Rules with pictures and strategies for how to win

Clare Mulroy Veronica Bravo
USA TODAY

Need a quick form of entertainment this holiday season? Why not pull out a checkerboard while you're home with relatives? The beloved 8x8 board is home to both checkers and chess and is a staple in many living rooms, parks and even bars.

According to a 2020 survey, 77% of adults in the U.S. think checkers is a game of skill rather than luck. So do you need to be a master of strategy to win a checkers game? Most would say "yes." Here are some tips on how to play and win.

How to play checkers

Checkers is a two-person game. You’ll need a standard checkerboard with 12 checkers per player to start.

How to set up your board

Choose who will go first. If this isn't your first match, typically the person who won the last game is the one to go first. A board comes with two different colors of checkers — often a combination of red, black or white. The player who goes first will take the dark-colored checkers (red in this illustration), and the other player will take the remaining color (white). 

Players sit on opposite ends of the board. The board is made of alternating light and dark squares. Place your checkers in the dark spaces so there is an empty light square in the right corner for each player. There should be three rows of four checkers each, placed only in dark squares. 

Moves to keep in mind  

There are three important checker move rules:

  • Checkers can only move diagonally on dark squares.
  • At the start of the game, checkers can only move forward, meaning toward the opposite player’s side.
  • Checkers may move up and down when they become “kings” by reaching the last row of the opposite side.

Move your checker forward diagonally, always staying on the dark squares. You are only allowed to move one checker per turn, moving one space at a time unless jumping. After the first player takes their turn the next player goes, also moving their checker forward diagonally.

Remove your opponent’s checkers from the board by jumping them if your checker is diagonal to your opponent’s and there is an empty dark space to hop to. Jump the checker by moving your piece straight over theirs and landing on the empty dark space. 

If the space you land on after jumping your opponent’s checker puts you in position to jump another of their checkers, you can make a “double jump” in one move. A double jump is when two jumps are made consecutively within a single turn. 

As you make your way across the board, try to get to the end of your opponent’s side. Once you reach the last row, either stack a captured checker on top of it or flip your checker over. This sets it apart from the other checkers. It is now a king and can move forward or backward diagonally. 

How do you win the game of checkers?

Whoever captures all their opponents’ checkers wins. Players continue jumping to capture checkers until one color remains on the board. You can also win checkers if you block your opponent’s pieces so they can’t make any more moves. 

How to play checkers online

If you don't have a checkerboard on hand, don't worry. There are plenty of free websites where you can try your hand at checkers with varying levels of difficulty. Check out these free sites to play with a friend or against a computer.

What is the best first move in checkers?

According to Quadibloc, “Old Faithful” is the best first move, and one of the most popular. It involves moving the black checker from square 11 to square 15, or the second from the left diagonally to the right. 

For the second player (usually white or red), the best first move is to move from square 23 to square 18, or the second from the right diagonally to the right.

Another popular counter to the 11-15 opening move is the 22-17. 

Strategies for checkers

Guard your side: Try to keep your checkers in the last row as long as possible. This will prevent your opponent from turning their checkers into kings and having greater mobility around the board. 

Sacrifice a checker: As the saying goes, you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Sometimes losing one checker may put you in the situation to capture one or more of your opponent’s. Keep in mind your long-term goal of winning instead of focusing only on defending. 

Control the center: While it’s a beginner’s instinct to move to the edge of the board to evade captivity, forming a pyramid with your checkers in the center will help keep your pieces together and prevent your opponent from reaching the end of your side.

Keep your pieces together: There truly is strength in numbers. Moving your checkers in pairs is advisable because a solo checker can easily be jumped. 

Win by blocking: Getting all your opponent’s checkers is not the only way to win the game. You may be able to block your opponent’s non-king pieces from moving, especially in the corners.

History of checkers

Checkers is one of the world’s oldest games and has been adapted over the years to form the modern game we know today. Also known as draughts in the United Kingdom and Russia, checkers is played by moving different colored pieces across a board to capture your player’s pieces. The two-player game is played on a checkerboard — a wooden or plastic square with checkered squares.

The earliest version of checkers was found in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur, now in modern-day Iraq, which archeologists found, and carbon dated to 3,000 B.C. There’s also mention of a version of checkers called Alquerque in Ancient Egypt and as mentioned by Homer and Plato in the Classical period in Ancient Greece, New World Encyclopedia writes.

Modern versions of checkers, or draughts, came in 1,110 A.D. when the French created a 64-sided square board and introduced turning pieces to kings in the game. The game garnered popularity in Britain in the 17th century, and the game eventually made its way to America.

In the 1950s, Arthur Samuel became the first person to computerize the game of checkers, which was created on the IBM 701, IBM’s first commercial scientific computer. Samuel’s work with artificial intelligence meant he could successfully program a computer to play checkers. According to IBM, self-proclaimed checkers master Robert Nealey played against an IBM computer and lost. 

Keep the fun going with more illustrated game guides

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