Start a game in seconds, then learn the few rules that make every move matter.
English Checkers — also called American Checkers or English Draughts — is the familiar game played on an 8×8 board. Each player begins with 12 pieces, and only the dark squares are used.
On your turn, a regular piece moves one square diagonally forward. The aim is to take every opposing piece or leave your opponent with nowhere to move.
Captures are compulsory. When one of your pieces can jump over an adjacent opponent onto an empty square, that jump takes priority over every ordinary move.
Land with another capture available? Keep going with the same piece. That is a multi-jump.
White must jump the dark piece and land on the highlighted square. Any ordinary move elsewhere is illegal.
If several capture routes are open, the choice is yours; English Checkers does not force the route that takes the most pieces. This is where simple-looking positions become tactical: a loose piece may be bait rather than a mistake.
A piece that reaches the far edge becomes a king and may move or capture in either direction. It is still short-range, though — one diagonal square at a time, not the long sweeping move used in some other variants.
You do not need to memorise openings. Three habits will take you much further:
These four white pieces cover nearby lanes. Push one too far ahead and it becomes much easier to isolate.
White can move onto the highlighted back-row square. From the next turn, that piece may travel forward or backward.
Both games use an 8×8 board and 12 pieces per side, but they quickly feel different. In English Checkers, men capture forward and kings move one square. Russian men may capture backward, while kings travel along open diagonals.
Start here if you want the cleanest introduction to forced captures. Try Russian Checkers next when you are ready for longer combinations and more freedom.
Yes. American Checkers, English Checkers and English Draughts usually mean the same 8×8 game.
No. Men move and capture forward; kings can go both ways.
Yes. If a legal jump is available, you must take one.
No. When more than one legal route is available, you choose the route.
Look for a jump elsewhere on the board. A compulsory capture can make every ordinary move temporarily unavailable.
It ends when the capturing piece has no further legal jump. You cannot stop the sequence early or switch to a different piece halfway through.
Yes. Choose Computer in the game setup and start playing; registration is not required for a practice game.