Look past the first capture
A favourable exchange is only the beginning. Check where your piece will land after the entire capture sequence.
CHECKERS IN HAPPY GAMESCheckers Think one move.
Checkers Think one move.
See two ahead.
A familiar board, twelve pieces and countless possibilities. Build combinations, spot the traps and find the move that makes your friend say, “How did you see that?”
After opening Happy Games, choose Checkers in the catalogue.
2 players8×8 board12 pieces eachFlying kings
Capture every opposing piece or leave your opponent with no legal move.
Russian draughts on an 8×8 board: regular pieces move forward and capture in either direction; kings travel along open diagonals.
FROM THE RULES TO YOUR FIRST MOVE
Go on. It is your turn.
Choose a spot on the board
or watch the moves play out.
CheckersGuided demo
01 / 01Select the highlighted spot or “Next move”
TRY IT NOWOne little move.
One little move.
Now you get it.
A quick example of how the game works. Full games and friend invitations are in Telegram.
LET’S TAKE IT STEP BY STEP
How to play Checkers
- 01
Set up the board
Each player starts with 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three nearest rows. White moves first.
- 02
Make a regular move
Move a piece one square diagonally forward onto an empty dark square. A regular piece cannot move backwards without making a capture.
- 03
Captures are compulsory
Jump over an adjacent opposing piece onto the empty square immediately beyond it. Remove the captured piece. Regular pieces can capture forwards and backwards.
- 04
Complete the combination
If the same piece can capture again after landing, keep going. When more than one capture route is available, choose one of them.
- 05
Become a king
Reach the farthest row to promote your piece. A king can travel any distance along an open diagonal and capture from farther away.
- 06
Finish the game
You win when your opponent has no pieces or no legal moves. Watch both the material on the board and the space available to move.
A LITTLE TACTICAL THINKINGAlready planning
Already planning
your next move?
Keep your pieces connected
Isolated pieces are easier to attack. Support them with neighbours and avoid opening every diagonal at once.
A FEW USEFUL DETAILS
About this game
Do I have to capture?
Yes. When a capture is available, you cannot make a regular move instead.
Can a regular piece capture backwards?
Yes. In this variant, a regular piece captures in either diagonal direction, but a non-capturing move must go forwards.
Is this a full game on the website?
This page contains a short interactive combination. Open Happy Games in Telegram to play a complete match.
TRY A DIFFERENT KIND OF GAME
All six games →What shall we play next?
HAPPY GAMES IN TELEGRAM
Open Happy Games ↗Ready for a real game?
Open Happy Games in Telegram and choose Checkers.