Why does the game force me to capture?

Mandatory capture is the standard American rule — it creates sacrifices and combinations. Our version shows "you must capture" so it never feels like a bug.

Is checkers easier to learn than chess?

Much easier to start — five rules cover everything — but forced captures give it real tactical depth; computers only solved it fully in 2007.

Can I practice checkers against a computer for free?

Yes — TimeWellLost's checkers is free in the browser against an AI that plans several moves ahead, with a tutorial on your first game.

Learn Checkers (Draughts): A Beginner's Guide

Checkers — American checkers or English draughts — is a two-player strategy game on the dark squares of an 8×8 board, twelve pieces each. Pieces step diagonally forward and capture by jumping; reach the far side and a piece is crowned a king. Its sharpest rule, and the one casual players most often don't know, is that captures are mandatory — forced jumps are what turn checkers into a game of sacrifices and traps.

▶ Play Checkers free — learn by doing

How a game works, step by step

Setup. Twelve pieces each on the dark squares of the three rows nearest you. A coin flip (in our version, a fair seeded one) decides who moves first.
Moving. A piece moves one square diagonally forward onto an empty dark square. It never moves sideways, straight ahead, or backward — only kings can go back.
Jumping. If an enemy piece sits diagonally next to you with an empty square beyond, you jump it and remove it. If any jump exists anywhere, you MUST jump (you choose which when there are several).
Multi-jumps. If your piece can jump again from where it lands, it must continue — chains of two or three captures decide most games.
Kings and winning. Reaching the far row crowns a king, which moves and captures in all four diagonal directions. You win by taking every enemy piece or leaving your opponent no legal move.

A worked example

Your opponent's piece sits where you could jump it, but the landing square would expose you to a double jump back. Because captures are forced BOTH ways, strong players give away one piece on purpose: you are forced to take it, and the recapture chain takes two of yours. Before every jump, look at what your landing square lets your opponent do next.

Five mistakes every beginner makes

Moving your back row out early — it's what stops enemy kings from being crowned.
Pushing lone pieces down the edges, where they attack half as many squares.
Taking every jump without checking the recapture (see the example above).
Refusing trades while ahead: with 8 v 6, every equal trade makes your advantage bigger.
Racing for a king while your centre collapses — crowns matter, structure wins.

Glossary

Man: A regular (uncrowned) piece.
King: A crowned piece that moves and captures forward and backward.
Forced capture: The rule that you must jump when a jump is available.
Multi-jump: A single turn capturing several pieces in a chain.
Crowning: Promoting a man to king by reaching the far row — it ends that move.

Learning FAQ

Why does the game force me to capture?: Mandatory capture is the standard American rule — it creates sacrifices and combinations. Our version shows "you must capture" so it never feels like a bug.
Is checkers easier to learn than chess?: Much easier to start — five rules cover everything — but forced captures give it real tactical depth; computers only solved it fully in 2007.
Can I practice checkers against a computer for free?: Yes — TimeWellLost's checkers is free in the browser against an AI that plans several moves ahead, with a tutorial on your first game.

Ready to try?

The fastest way to learn Checkers is a real game with the rules enforced for you: play Checkers free at TimeWellLost — the first game includes a step-by-step tutorial.