This checkers online game follows American (English) draughts rules on a square 8×8 board. You get forced captures, multi-jump chains and kings, and the rules are enforced for you, so illegal jumps are simply rejected. Play a friend online with a room code, share one device, or take on a computer opponent with five strength levels from Beginner to Expert. It is free in your browser, with no download and no account.

How to Play the Checkers Online Game

Each player starts with 12 pieces, called men, on the dark squares of their first three rows. White starts at the bottom of the board, and the coordinates run a–h and 1–8.

1. Move diagonally forward one square onto an empty dark square.
2. Jump to capture. If an enemy piece is diagonally next to yours and the square beyond it is empty, jump over it and remove it.
3. Keep jumping. If the same piece can jump again after landing, it must continue the chain.
4. Get crowned. A man that reaches the far row becomes a king.
5. Win by capturing every enemy piece or leaving your opponent with no legal move.

Checkers Rules (American / English Draughts)

• Captures are mandatory. If any jump is available, you must take one. The pieces that must jump glow so you never miss one.
• Multi-jumps use one piece. A chain of captures continues with the same piece until no more jumps are possible.
• Promotion ends the turn. A man that is crowned stops immediately, even if it could jump again as a king.
• Kings move both ways. A king moves and captures diagonally forward and backward.
• Draw rule: if 40 moves pass for each player without a capture or a move by a man, the game is a draw.

These are the standard rules for American checkers. International draughts on a 10×10 board, where men can capture backward and kings fly across the board, is a different game.

Controls

• Mouse: click a piece, then click a highlighted square. You can also drag the piece.
• Touch: tap a piece, then tap its destination. The board stays perfectly square on phones as narrow as 390 pixels.
• Keyboard: there are no dedicated keyboard shortcuts.

Legal destinations are highlighted, forced captures glow, and kings wear a crown.

Game Modes

• Online with friends: create a room, share the code and play live from any browser.
• Challenge online players: see who is free in the arena and send an invite.
• Local vs: two players on one device.
• vs Computer: choose Beginner, Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert. The AI uses an alpha-beta search that runs in a Web Worker, so the board stays responsive while it thinks.

Checkers is one of 67 free games on My MP Games, and it sits alongside Chess, Go and Backgammon in the strategy section. For a hidden-fleet duel on two grids, try Battleship. For a finger-flick table, try the carrom board game online.

Checkers Strategy and Tips

• Hold the back row. Keeping your home row filled stops your opponent from crowning a king. Give it up only when you need to.
• Count the whole chain. Before you take a piece, play out the entire jump sequence. Because jumps are forced, your opponent can offer one piece to drag yours into a double jump.
• Use forced captures against your opponent. A one-piece sacrifice that forces an enemy jump can open a bigger capture for you.
• Control the centre. Pieces on the central squares have more options and are harder to trap.
• Move in pairs. A lone piece that runs ahead is easy to surround. Advance pieces that support each other.
• In the endgame, kings rule. Get your first king early, and use it to hunt stragglers from behind.

A Short History of Checkers

Games of jumping and capturing on a grid are ancient. Many historians link checkers to alquerque, a board game played in the Middle East and medieval Spain. Playing on a chessboard with forced captures took hold in France around the 12th to 16th centuries. The English game was described in print in 1756 by William Payne. In 2007, researchers at the University of Alberta announced that their program Chinook had solved checkers: with perfect play from both sides, the game is a draw. That has not made it any less fun, because perfect play is very hard.

Checkers FAQ

Can I play this checkers online game with a friend?

Yes. Create a room and share the code or invite link, or pick Local vs to play on one device.

Are jumps mandatory in checkers?

Yes. Under American rules you must capture when you can, and a multi-jump must be finished with the same piece.

Can you move checkers pieces backwards?

Ordinary men only move forward. Once a man is crowned king, it can move and capture diagonally backward as well.

What happens when a piece is crowned?

It becomes a king and your turn ends immediately, even if another jump would be possible.

Can you play checkers by yourself?

Yes. Play vs Computer offers five levels, from Beginner to Expert.

How do you win at checkers?

Capture all of your opponent's pieces or leave them with no legal move. If 40 moves pass for each player without a capture or a man move, the game is a draw.

Is checkers solved?

Yes. In 2007 the Chinook program proved that perfect play from both sides leads to a draw.