Can I play checkers against the computer here?

Yes. Choose Computer as your opponent and pick Black or White; Black always moves first. The computer is a beginner: in a background worker it looks three plies ahead, its move, your reply and its answer, and picks at random among the moves that score within a small margin of its best, so it avoids most simple piece losses but misses deeper combinations. It answers within 750 ms. If its search cannot finish in time, or the worker cannot start in your browser, it plays a quick legal move instead, taking the most pieces when it has a capture. It has no rating and makes no claim to perfect play. A friend plays on this same device; there is no online play against another person.

Do you have to jump in checkers?

Yes. In English checkers a capture is compulsory. When one of your pieces can jump, the pieces that can are ringed, only the captures are listed, and a step you try is refused with the captures you can choose from. When there are several captures you may play any complete one: there is no rule that you must take the most pieces. Once a piece has jumped it must keep jumping while it can, so you cannot stop halfway, except that a man crowned by a jump stops there.

How do kings move in checkers?

A man that reaches the far row, squares 29 to 32 for Black or 1 to 4 for White, is crowned and drawn with a crown. A king moves and captures one square diagonally in any direction, forward or backward, while a man only moves and captures forward. A man crowned during a capture ends its move on the crowning square, even if the new king could jump again from there: the Crowning jump practice position shows this on square 30.

How does a game of checkers end?

A side with no pieces left, or with no legal move on its turn, loses. This page also ends a game as a draw, by its own convention, when the same position with the same side to move occurs three times, or when 80 plies pass with no capture and no man move, which means only kings have been moving. The draw watch beside the board counts both. There is no draw offer or resign button: press New game to start again.

Is my game saved, and can I take a move back?

The game, your opponent choice, the side you play and the board orientation are saved in this browser after each move and restored when you come back. Undo takes back one move between two players; against the computer it takes back your last move and the computer's reply, and if the computer is still thinking it cancels that search and takes back your move. Copy puts the move record on your clipboard as text in standard square numbers.

What are the practice positions?

Four starts you can load: the usual new game, with 7 legal first moves for Black; a crowning jump, where a Black man must jump from 21 to 30 and is crowned there; a Black king on 30 with two capture paths, 30x21 or 30x23x14; and an open centre after 1. 11-15 23-19 2. 8-11 22-17. A seeded opening plays four random legal plies from the usual start, and the same seed always gives the same opening. Each loads as a fresh game with its own record and draw counter, and against the computer you take the side to move.

Checkers

Play English checkers, the 8 x 8 game also called American checkers or draughts, on one device: pass it between two players, or take Black or White against a beginner computer. When a capture exists on your turn, the pieces that can take are ringed on the board, ordinary steps are hidden and only the captures are listed, and a multi-jump is picked one landing square at a time, so a piece cannot stop halfway. Every legal move is also a button beside the board and can be typed in standard square numbers, and the board works with the arrow keys. The page also has Undo, a move record you can copy, a draw counter, practice positions and seeded random openings, and it saves the game in this browser. Your moves are not sent anywhere.

Opponent

You play

boardBlack to move

Arrow keys move between the dark squares; Enter or Space picks a piece, then each square it lands on; Escape lets go. Every legal move is also a button beside the board.

Black: men on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. White: men on 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32. Black to move.

legal moves7 for Black

Loading the board and any saved game.

Moves you can play

last moves: none yet
draw watch: 0 of 80 plies, no position seen 3 times
mode: you Black, computer White, beginner

saved in this browser

To move: Black

Pieces: Black 12, White 12

Kings: Black 0, White 0

Draw counter: 0 of 80 plies

Practice positions

Each one loads as a fresh game with its own record and draw counter. Against the computer, you take the side to move.

New game8 x 8, 12 pieces a side, Black to move
24 pieces on the 32 dark squares, 7 legal moves for Black
Crowning jumpBlack to move after 8. 4-8 30-25: the man on 21 must jump to 30
Black must capture: 21x30, crowned on landing, and the move ends there
Two capture pathsBlack to move with a king on 30 after 9. 21x30 29-25
Black must capture: 30x21 or 30x23x14
Open centreBlack to move after 1. 11-15 23-19 2. 8-11 22-17
24 pieces on the 32 dark squares, 8 legal moves for Black
Seeded openingfour random legal plies from the usual start, the same for the same seed
Seed, a whole number from 1 to 999999

Common questions

Can I play checkers against the computer here?: Yes. Choose Computer as your opponent and pick Black or White; Black always moves first. The computer is a beginner: in a background worker it looks three plies ahead, its move, your reply and its answer, and picks at random among the moves that score within a small margin of its best, so it avoids most simple piece losses but misses deeper combinations. It answers within 750 ms. If its search cannot finish in time, or the worker cannot start in your browser, it plays a quick legal move instead, taking the most pieces when it has a capture. It has no rating and makes no claim to perfect play. A friend plays on this same device; there is no online play against another person.
Do you have to jump in checkers?: Yes. In English checkers a capture is compulsory. When one of your pieces can jump, the pieces that can are ringed, only the captures are listed, and a step you try is refused with the captures you can choose from. When there are several captures you may play any complete one: there is no rule that you must take the most pieces. Once a piece has jumped it must keep jumping while it can, so you cannot stop halfway, except that a man crowned by a jump stops there.
How do kings move in checkers?: A man that reaches the far row, squares 29 to 32 for Black or 1 to 4 for White, is crowned and drawn with a crown. A king moves and captures one square diagonally in any direction, forward or backward, while a man only moves and captures forward. A man crowned during a capture ends its move on the crowning square, even if the new king could jump again from there: the Crowning jump practice position shows this on square 30.
How does a game of checkers end?: A side with no pieces left, or with no legal move on its turn, loses. This page also ends a game as a draw, by its own convention, when the same position with the same side to move occurs three times, or when 80 plies pass with no capture and no man move, which means only kings have been moving. The draw watch beside the board counts both. There is no draw offer or resign button: press New game to start again.
Can I play with the keyboard or on a small phone screen?: Yes. Tab to the board, move between the dark squares with the arrow keys, press Enter or Space on a piece and then on each square it lands on, and press Escape to let go. Every legal move is also a button beside the board, at least 44 pixels tall on narrow screens, and you can type a move such as 11-15 or 30x23x14. The squares are numbered on the board, and Flip board turns it round.
Is my game saved, and can I take a move back?: The game, your opponent choice, the side you play and the board orientation are saved in this browser after each move and restored when you come back. Undo takes back one move between two players; against the computer it takes back your last move and the computer's reply, and if the computer is still thinking it cancels that search and takes back your move. Copy puts the move record on your clipboard as text in standard square numbers.
What are the practice positions?: Four starts you can load: the usual new game, with 7 legal first moves for Black; a crowning jump, where a Black man must jump from 21 to 30 and is crowned there; a Black king on 30 with two capture paths, 30x21 or 30x23x14; and an open centre after 1. 11-15 23-19 2. 8-11 22-17. A seeded opening plays four random legal plies from the usual start, and the same seed always gives the same opening. Each loads as a fresh game with its own record and draw counter, and against the computer you take the side to move.

English checkers as played here: Black moves first, men step and capture diagonally forward only, kings one square in any diagonal direction, and a capture must be taken when one exists, by any complete path rather than only the longest; a multi-jump continues with the same piece while it can, and a man reaching the far row is crowned and its move ends. A side with no pieces or no legal move loses, and threefold repetition or 80 plies with no capture and no man move is shown as a draw by this site's convention. The computer is a beginner that answers within 750 ms, or plays a quick legal fallback move, and is not a rated or perfect player.