Checkers

How to play Checkers

Checkers, also called draughts, is played on the dark squares of an eight-by-eight board. You control the red pieces at the bottom and move first. Pieces move one square diagonally forward. To capture, you jump diagonally over an enemy piece into the empty square behind it. This version follows the common American rules.

Captures are compulsory. If you can jump, you must, and if a piece can keep jumping after a capture it must continue, which allows several enemy pieces to be taken in one turn. When a piece reaches the far row it becomes a king, marked with a crown, and can move and capture both forwards and backwards. A man that reaches the king row ends its turn there.

Tap a piece to highlight its legal squares, then tap the destination. Pieces that can move glow when you must choose. Pick Easy for a random opponent, Medium or Hard for a computer that looks several moves ahead, or switch to Two players to share one screen. Undo takes back your last move and the reply.

You win when your opponent has no pieces left or no legal move. If forty moves go by without a capture or a new king, the game is a draw. Keep your back row at home as long as possible, trade pieces when you are ahead, and look for double jumps.