Checkers

About Checkers

Checkers (Draughts) is one of the oldest and most popular board games in the world. Move your pieces diagonally, jump over opponent's pieces to capture them, and reach the far side to crown a King. Simple rules, deep strategy!

History of Checkers

Checkers (known as Draughts outside North America) is one of the oldest known board games, with a similar game found in the ancient city of Ur dating to approximately 3000 BC. The modern 8x8 board version evolved in Southern France around the 12th century, when the game was played on a chess board with backgammon pieces. The rules requiring mandatory jumps were introduced in France around 1535, adding a crucial strategic layer. In 2007, a team led by Jonathan Schaeffer at the University of Alberta solved checkers computationally after 18 years of work, proving that perfect play by both sides results in a draw. This made Checkers the most complex game ever solved by a computer at that time.

Checkers Tips & Strategies

• 💡Control the center of the board early; pieces in the center have more mobility and influence over the game.
• 💡Keep your back row pieces in place as long as possible to prevent your opponent from crowning kings.
• 💡Create opportunities for double and triple jumps by luring opponent pieces into vulnerable positions.
• 💡Trade pieces when you have a material advantage; the fewer pieces on the board, the harder it is for your opponent to come back.
• 💡Move pieces in groups rather than leaving individual pieces isolated where they can be easily captured.

Fun Facts About Checkers

• ★Checkers was computationally solved in 2007 after 18 years of calculations using hundreds of computers; perfect play always results in a draw.
• ★The solving of checkers required computing the value of 39 trillion board positions, stored in a database of over 200 gigabytes.
• ★A checkerboard dating to approximately 3000 BC was found in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur, suggesting board games of this type are over 5,000 years old.
• ★The World Checkers/Draughts Championship has been held since 1847, making it one of the oldest continuously contested competitive game tournaments.

How to Play Checkers

1. 1Click a piece to select it, then click a diagonal square to move
2. 2Jump over an opponent's piece to capture it (mandatory if available)
3. 3Multi-jumps are allowed in a single turn
4. 4Reach the opposite end of the board to crown your piece as a King
5. 5Kings can move and capture both forward and backward

Frequently Asked Questions about Checkers