Checkers

How to play Checkers

Checkers is played on the dark squares of an 8 by 8 board. You have the 12 dark pieces at the bottom and move first; the computer has the 12 red pieces at the top. Capture all of the computer's pieces, or leave it with no move, to win.

• Tap one of your pieces, then the square to move it to. The squares it can reach are marked with a dot. Tap the piece again to put it back.
• A piece moves one square diagonally forward, onto an empty dark square.
• To capture, jump diagonally over a computer piece next to yours onto the empty square beyond it. The captured piece is taken off the board.
• If you can capture, you must. When more than one piece can, the ones that can are outlined, and you choose which capture to make.
• After a jump, if the same piece can jump again, it keeps going: tap each landing square in turn.
• A piece that reaches the far row is crowned and becomes a king, marked with a crown. Kings move and jump diagonally in any direction, backwards too. Being crowned ends that move.
• If 40 moves go by on each side with no capture and no ordinary piece moved, the game is a draw.

Choose how strong the computer is above the board: Easy, Medium or Hard. Undo takes back your last move and the computer's reply, as many times as you like. Hint suggests a good move.

Tips

• Keep the pieces on your back row at home for as long as you can: while they are there, the computer can't crown a king.
• Move toward the middle of the board. Pieces on the edges are safe, but they have fewer ways to move.
• Count before you trade. Because captures are compulsory, you can sometimes give up one piece to force a jump that lets you take two.
• Get a king as soon as you safely can. A king that can move backwards is worth much more than an ordinary piece.

Keyboard

Arrow keys move between the dark squares. Press Enter or Space to pick up a piece, move to a marked square and press Enter again. Escape puts the piece back. H shows a hint and Ctrl+Z undoes.