Checkers, or draughts, is played on the dark squares of a chessboard with twelve pieces a side. The rules fit on a postcard, but they differ from country to country, so this guide covers the shared basics first and the differences after.
Checkers in one minute
- Pieces stand on the dark squares and move diagonally, one square forward.
- Jump over an enemy piece onto the empty square behind it to capture it.
- If you can capture, you must.
- A piece that reaches the far row becomes a king and can move backwards.
- Take every enemy piece, or leave your opponent without a move, to win.
The board and the start
On the 8×8 board each player has twelve pieces on the dark squares of their three nearest rows. International checkers uses a 10×10 board with twenty pieces each on four rows.
On Deckbreak you play the light pieces from the bottom of the board and move first against the computer.
Capturing
A capture is a jump: your piece leaps over a neighbouring enemy piece and lands on the empty square directly behind it. The jumped piece is removed.
If your piece can jump again from where it landed, it has to carry on, and can change direction between jumps. Several pieces can fall in one move.
Capturing is compulsory in every rule set. If a capture exists, you can't make an ordinary move instead.
Kings
A piece that reaches the far row is crowned. In English checkers a king moves one square in any diagonal direction. In Russian, international and Brazilian checkers the king flies: it slides any distance along an open diagonal and can capture a piece far away, landing on any empty square behind it.
Which rules should I pick?
- Russian: 8×8. Pieces capture forwards and backwards, kings fly, and you may choose any capture. The usual game in Eastern Europe.
- International: 10×10 with twenty pieces each. Like Russian, but you must take the capture that removes the most pieces.
- Brazilian: international rules on the small 8×8 board.
- English (American): 8×8. Pieces move and capture forwards only, and kings move a single square. The game most English speakers know.
- Italian: 8×8. Pieces capture forwards only and can't capture kings; you must take the most pieces, and use a king to capture when you can.
Playing on Deckbreak
- Pieces that can move have a gold ring. Tap one, then tap a marked square.
- For a multiple jump, tap each landing square in turn.
- When a capture is available, only the pieces that can capture are selectable.
- The last move is highlighted on the board, and the piece count is shown beside each name.
Tips for your first games
- Keep your back row at home for as long as you can. It stops your opponent getting kings.
- Play towards the centre. A piece on the edge can only move one way.
- Move pieces in pairs, one behind the other, so that nothing can be jumped.
- Use the capture rule as a weapon: offer one piece to force a jump that lets you take two.
- When you are a piece ahead, trade. Three against two is easier to win than twelve against eleven.
- Before every move, check what your opponent will be forced to capture after it.
Draws
A game is drawn when the same position comes up three times, or when each side has made thirty moves without a capture or a move by an ordinary piece. Endings with a few kings each are often draws.