Checkers – Play Online for Free

Checkers is at least 1,000 years old and is said to originate in the south of France. The rules used here correspond to "Fierges", one of the oldest known forms of the game. Unlike modern variants, this historical version does not allow long diagonal moves: a promoted king moves just like a regular piece, one square at a time or with a short jump. If you enjoy classic two-player duels, take your place at the board. Alongside Nine Men's Morris, Chess, and Backgammon, checkers is one of the great strategy games that has stood the test of time. You begin by choosing whether to face a real person or a virtual opponent, and the board is ready in seconds.

Rules of Checkers

Checkers is played on a standard board of eight rows and eight columns, with alternating light and dark squares. Each player starts with twelve pieces, one set white and one set dark. All pieces are placed on the dark squares of the first three rows on each side. On each turn, a piece moves one square diagonally forward, always staying on dark squares. The goal is to outmaneuver your opponent until they have no valid moves remaining.

White moves first, then players alternate. Each piece advances toward the opponent's back row. When a piece reaches the opponent's back row, it is promoted to a king, marked with a crown. Kings can move both forward and backward, making them considerably more powerful than regular pieces.

The aim of checkers is to capture as many of the opponent's pieces as possible. When an opponent's piece is diagonally adjacent and the square directly behind it is empty, you must jump over it and remove it from the board. If another jump is available immediately after, you must continue: capturing is mandatory. Kings are especially effective here, as they can capture in both directions. For this reason, it pays to keep your own back row occupied for as long as possible to deny your opponent the chance to promote.

You win when the opponent has no pieces left or no valid move available. It is not uncommon for both players to trade down to a single king each, in which case the game ends in a draw.

More Two-Player Games

What kind of game appeals to you most? For board game duels, Nine Men's Morris, Backgammon, and Battleship are all worth trying. For card games, Hearts and Uno Online offer great variety. Or perhaps a solo challenge suits you better: Yukon Solitaire, Forty Thieves Solitaire, and Freecell all deliver exactly that. All games here are free and require no download.