Checkers

How to play Checkers

1. You play red, moving up the board. Pieces move one square diagonally forward onto a dark square.
2. Capture by jumping over an opponent piece onto the empty square behind it. Captures are compulsory.
3. After a capture, keep jumping with the same piece if another capture is possible.
4. A piece reaching the far row becomes a king and can move backward too.
5. You win when your opponent cannot move or has no pieces left.

Tips

• Keep your back row filled as long as you can: it stops enemy kings.
• Pieces in the center are more useful than pieces on the edges.
• Use compulsory captures to force your opponent into a trap.
• Trade pieces when you are ahead: the endgame gets easier.
• On Easy and Medium, and with two players, Undo takes back your last move along with the computer's answer. On Hard, every move counts.

About Checkers

Checkers, also called draughts, is played on the dark squares of an 8 x 8 board. These are the English rules: men move forward one square, kings move one square in any diagonal direction, and capturing is compulsory.

The computer searches the moves ahead with minimax, counting material and how far pieces have advanced: two moves on Easy, six on Hard.

Points and badges

Finishing a game of Checkers earns points for your level. Four badges are waiting in this game, from bronze to diamond: each one says what to do and adds bonus points.

Questions