Checkers (Draughts)
Full rules with compulsory captures and multi-jumps. Play the computer, someone on this device, or a friend on another device via a shared code.
Captures are compulsory
If a jump exists anywhere on the board, no quiet move is legal. That is the rule of the game rather than a variant, and it is what makes checkers tactical instead of gentle — because it means offering a piece is a weapon. Give up one man to force a jump that opens a double jump back, and you come out ahead.
A jump that can continue must continue, so a double or triple jump is one move and you cannot stop partway. The exception is promotion: a man reaching the back rank is crowned and the move ends there, even if the new king could keep jumping. That last one is the most commonly misplayed rule in the game.
And a game can end in neither a win nor a loss. Forty moves each with no capture and no man moved is a draw, because a man can never move backwards — so once only kings are left, a position with nothing to force can repeat for ever. Two evenly matched engines will shuffle down the same diagonal until something stops them, and this is the something.
Things worth knowing
- Captures are compulsory. If a jump exists anywhere on the board, no quiet move is legal — that is the rule of the game, not a variant, and it is what makes checkers tactical rather than gentle.
- A jump that can continue must continue. A double or triple jump is a single move, and you cannot stop partway to a better square.
- A man reaching the back rank is crowned and the move ENDS there, even if the new king could keep jumping. It is the most commonly misplayed rule in the game.
- Because captures are forced, offering a piece is a real weapon. Give up one man to force a jump that opens a double jump back, and you come out a piece ahead.
- Hold your own back row as long as you can. Every piece sitting there is a square your opponent cannot crown on, and a king is worth about one and a half men.
- Men only move forward; kings move both ways. Most beginner losses come from advancing everything and leaving nothing to jump back with.
How to use
- Pick the computer or another person, and a difficulty.
- Click a highlighted piece, then a highlighted square.
- If a capture is available anywhere, it is your only legal option.
Frequently asked questions
Why can I not make the move I want?
Almost certainly because a capture is available somewhere on the board. Captures are compulsory in checkers — if any jump exists, no quiet move is legal. It is the rule of the game rather than a variant.
Can I stop halfway through a double jump?
No. A jump that can continue must continue, so a double or triple jump is a single move. That is why the board offers you the far landing square and not the intermediate one.
What happens if I get crowned mid-jump?
The move ends there. A man reaching the back rank becomes a king immediately and stops, even if the new king could keep jumping — the most commonly misplayed rule in the game.
How do kings move?
Diagonally in both directions, one square at a time, and they jump both ways too. Men only ever move forward, which is why advancing everything leaves you with nothing to jump back with.
How do you lose?
Two ways: running out of pieces, or having no legal move at all. Being completely blocked loses just as surely as being captured.
Is giving away a piece ever good?
Frequently, and it is the heart of the game. Because captures are forced, offering a man can compel a jump that opens a double jump back — you give one and take two.
How do I play someone on another device?
Choose "Another device", press Start a new room, and send them the four-character code or the invite link. They pick the same option, type the code and press Join. Whoever starts the room plays Red.
Does a shared game survive losing signal?
Yes. The board lives on the server rather than either phone, so a dropped connection reconnects on its own and the position is still there. A room is kept for six hours after the last player leaves.
Why is Undo disabled in a shared game?
Because it would only rewind your own screen, and there is no agreed way to ask the other player to accept it. Half-doing it would desync the two boards, so it is switched off and says so.
Can someone cheat in a shared game?
Yes, if they are determined. The server checks whose turn it is and rejects moves out of turn or out of order, but it does not referee the rules of checkers. It is built for playing with someone you know rather than for ranked play, and it does not pretend otherwise.
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