Play Checkers Online

Play American Checkers (Draughts) in your browser—no download, no sign-up. You play as Red against the computer (Black). Move diagonally, capture by jumping, and crown your pieces when they reach the opposite side. Choose Easy, Medium, or Hard and see how you do.

What is Checkers?

Checkers is a classic board game for two players on an 8×8 board. Only the dark squares are used. Each side starts with 12 pieces and moves them diagonally. You capture an opponent’s piece by jumping over it; if you can capture, you must. When a piece reaches the far row it becomes a king and can move diagonally in all four directions. The game ends when one side has no pieces left or no legal moves.

Playing checkers online lets you enjoy the same rules anywhere—on a laptop, tablet, or phone—without a physical board.

How to Play

1. Your pieces (Red) start on the bottom three rows; the computer’s pieces (Black) are on the top three rows.
2. Select a piece by clicking it. Valid moves and captures are highlighted (blue for moves, red for captures).
3. Move by clicking an empty dark square one step diagonally forward, or capture by clicking a square that is two steps away with an opponent piece in between. You can only move or capture when it’s your turn.
4. Mandatory captures – If you can capture, you must. The game will show “You must capture” when a capture is available.
5. Multiple jumps – After a capture, if the same piece can capture again, you must continue in the same turn.
6. Kings – When a piece reaches the opposite end of the board it becomes a king (crown icon). Kings can move and capture diagonally in all four directions.
7. Win when the computer has no pieces or no legal moves. You lose if you have no pieces or no legal moves.

Rules Summary

• Board: 8×8, play on dark squares only.
• Move: One step diagonally forward (kings can go backward too).
• Capture: Jump over one enemy piece diagonally; the piece is removed. Captures are mandatory when possible.
• Multi-jump: After a capture, if the same piece can capture again, you must continue.
• King: When a piece reaches the last row it becomes a king and can move and capture in all four diagonal directions.
• Game over: When one side has no pieces or no legal moves.

Strategy Tips

• Control the center – Pieces in the middle have more options and are harder to trap.
• Create kings – Getting pieces to the back row gives you stronger pieces that can move both ways.
• Force captures – Try to leave the computer in positions where it must capture and give you a better reply.
• Avoid single pieces at the edge – They can be trapped more easily.
• Block the computer’s kings – Limit where they can move and capture.

Difficulty Levels

• Easy – The computer looks ahead only a few moves and sometimes plays a random move. Good for learning.
• Medium – The computer looks several moves ahead and plays a strong game.
• Hard – The computer looks many moves ahead and is much harder to beat.

You can change the difficulty before or during a game; the new level applies from the next computer move.

Why Play Checkers Online?

Playing checkers in the browser is free and works on any device. You don’t need an account or an app—just open the page and play. You always have an opponent (the computer), and you can restart or change difficulty anytime. Whether you’re new to checkers or want to practice, online checkers is a simple way to play.