Checkers — play the classic board game online
Free online checkers against a sharp computer opponent. Classic 8×8 American rules — forced captures, multi-jumps, and kings. No download, no sign-up.
- Strong AI opponent
- Mandatory-capture ruleset
- Progress saved on your device
You
0
White
0
Choose your side
Red moves first. Captures are forced. Reach the far row to crown a king.
Play classic 8×8 checkers against the computer
What is this
Checkers, sharpened for a single player
Checkers is a two-player game of forced trades and long-range kings. This is a free online version built around one strong computer opponent: pick a side, slide diagonally, jump to capture, and try to crown a king before the board is picked clean. Captures are always mandatory, so every move is a small calculation.
- A real opponent
- The computer runs a look-ahead search with a positional evaluation. It will not hand you pieces, and it hunts for forcing jump sequences.
- Tournament ruleset
- Classic 8×8 American checkers: mandatory captures, compulsory multi-jumps, forward-only men, and non-flying kings.
- Plays in your browser
- No download, no install, no plugins. The board loads instantly on desktop and mobile and restarts with a click.
- Progress saved locally
- Your win–loss–draw record, win streak, and best capture count are stored on your device — never on a server.
How to play
How to play checkers
Checkers takes a minute to learn. Move diagonally, jump to capture, and crown a king by reaching the far row. Captures are forced, so reading the board one move ahead is what turns a beginner into a winning player.
- 1
Set up the board
Checkers is played on the 32 dark squares of an 8×8 board. Each side starts with 12 pieces filling the three rows closest to it. Red always moves first.
- 2
Move diagonally forward
On your turn, slide one piece diagonally forward to an empty adjacent dark square. Ordinary pieces (men) can only move forward, never sideways or straight.
- 3
Jump to capture
If an enemy piece sits diagonally in front of you with an empty square just beyond it, you jump over it and remove it from the board. Captures are mandatory — if a jump is available, you must take it.
- 4
Chain multi-jumps
After landing from a jump, if the same piece can jump again, it must keep going. A single turn can capture two, three, or more pieces in one sweep.
- 5
Crown a king
Reach the far row and your man is crowned a king. Kings move and capture diagonally both forward and backward, one square at a time, which makes them far more dangerous.
- 6
Win the game
You win when your opponent has no pieces left, or when they still have pieces but cannot make a single legal move. If neither side can force a win, the game is a draw.
Tips to win more games
- Push pieces toward the centre — central pieces have more moves and more influence than pieces stranded on the edge.
- Hold your back row as long as you can; it stops the opponent from getting an easy king.
- Keep your men connected in a diagonal chain so a jump is always answered by a re-capture.
- When you are ahead on material, trade pieces off — every exchange makes your lead bigger.
- Do not rush to king a piece if it means abandoning the centre; a well-placed man can be worth more than a trapped king.
- Look one move past every jump. A capture that leaves your piece exposed to a double-jump is usually a losing move.
FAQ
Checkers, answered
Straight answers about the rules, the AI opponent, and playing free online checkers in your browser.
What is checkers?
Checkers — also called draughts — is a two-player strategy board game played on the dark squares of an 8×8 board. Each player has 12 pieces that move diagonally and capture by jumping. You win by capturing all of your opponent’s pieces or leaving them with no legal move. CheckersOnline.games is a free version you play against a computer opponent in your browser.
Is this checkers game free to play online?
Yes. CheckersOnline.games is completely free and runs entirely in your browser. There is nothing to buy, download, or install, and there is no account, no paywall, and no ads interrupting a game. Open the page and the board is ready.
Do I need to download or install anything?
No. The game is 100% browser-based, built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It loads in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari on desktop and mobile without a plugin, app store listing, or installer.
How do the pieces move in checkers?
An ordinary piece (a "man") moves one square diagonally forward onto an empty dark square. It captures by jumping diagonally forward over an adjacent enemy piece and landing on the empty square directly beyond it. Men never move or capture straight, sideways, or backward. Kings may move and capture diagonally in all four directions, one square at a time.
Do you have to jump in checkers?
Yes, in this version. If any capture is available on your turn, you are required to play a capture rather than a quiet move. If the jump you make sets up another jump with the same piece, you must continue until that piece has no further jumps. This is the standard "forced capture" rule used in tournament American checkers.
Can a regular piece capture backwards?
No. Only kings can move or capture backward. A man captures forward only. This is why crossing the board to be crowned is such a strong idea — a king’s ability to jump in any diagonal direction roughly doubles its power.
How does a piece become a king?
When one of your men finishes its move on the opponent’s back row (the row farthest from where it started), it is immediately crowned a king and marked with a crown. If a man reaches the back row during a multi-jump, the jump sequence ends there — the fresh king does not get to keep jumping on the same turn.
How can a checkers game end in a draw?
A draw happens when neither side can force a win — most often with kings shuffling with no way to make progress. This game declares a draw automatically after 40 moves by each player with no capture and no promotion, which is the usual safeguard against an endless game.
How do I beat the computer at checkers?
Control the centre, keep your men connected so every jump can be answered, hold your back row to deny the AI an easy king, and trade pieces whenever you are ahead. The computer plays sound checkers and punishes loose pieces, so check for a forced jump against you before every move. The tips page has a full strategy walkthrough.
How strong is the AI opponent?
The opponent uses a negamax search with alpha-beta pruning and a positional evaluation, thinking several moves ahead within a fixed time budget on your device. It will not blunder pieces and it looks for forcing sequences, so it gives a committed beginner a real challenge while remaining beatable with good play. There are no difficulty settings — it is one consistent opponent.
What is the best first move in checkers?
Moves that develop toward the centre are considered the strongest and most flexible openings. Edge moves are playable but give you fewer options later. There is no single winning first move — checkers from the standard start is a known draw with perfect play — so the goal early on is a healthy, central position rather than an immediate advantage.
Does the game save my progress?
Yes. Your win–loss–draw record, your current and best win streak, your best single-game capture count, and your sound and colour preferences are saved locally in your own browser. Nothing is sent to a server and there is no login. Because the save lives on the device, a different browser or cleared site data will look like a fresh start.
Can I play checkers on mobile?
Yes. The layout is designed so the board and its controls stay above the fold on a phone. Tap a piece to select it, then tap a highlighted square to move. The board scales to your screen and every game restarts instantly without reloading the page.