Everything you need to know — from basic controls to advanced strategies that will elevate your game.
Checkers Master supports both mouse and touch input for seamless play on any device.
| Action | Desktop (Mouse) | Mobile (Touch) |
|---|---|---|
| Select a piece | Click on the piece | Tap on the piece |
| Move a piece | Drag and drop to a valid square | Drag and drop to a valid square |
| Capture an opponent | Drag over the opponent to the landing square | Drag over the opponent to the landing square |
| Chain capture | Continue dragging after each jump | Continue dragging after each jump |
The fundamental rules of checkers that every player should know.
Checkers is played on an 8×8 board. Each player starts with 12 pieces placed on the dark squares of the three rows closest to them. The board is oriented so that each player has a dark square in their lower-left corner.
Regular pieces move diagonally forward one square at a time. They can only land on unoccupied dark squares. You cannot move backward with a regular piece — only kings have that privilege.
If an opponent's piece is on an adjacent diagonal square and the square beyond it is empty, you must jump over the opponent to capture it. Captures are mandatory — if you can jump, you must jump. Multiple captures in a single turn are allowed and encouraged.
When a piece reaches the farthest row from its starting position, it is "crowned" and becomes a king. Kings can move and capture both forward and backward diagonally, making them significantly more powerful than regular pieces.
You win by capturing all of your opponent's pieces or by positioning your pieces so that your opponent has no legal moves left. If neither player can win, the game may end in a draw.
The darker-coloured pieces always go first. Players alternate turns. Each turn consists of either a single move or a series of captures. The game continues until one player wins or a draw is agreed upon.
If you're new to checkers, these tips will help you avoid common mistakes and start building solid habits from your very first game.
Once you've mastered the basics, these advanced strategies will help you outsmart more experienced opponents.
A fork occurs when you position a piece so that it threatens two of your opponent's pieces simultaneously. No matter which piece your opponent protects, you capture the other. Forks are one of the most powerful tactical tools in checkers.
Sometimes giving up a piece intentionally leads to a greater advantage. A well-timed sacrifice can open up double or triple jumps, gain board position, or force your opponent's pieces into vulnerable squares. Always calculate the net result before sacrificing.
Two kings positioned diagonally adjacent to each other form a "bridge" that is extremely difficult for the opponent to break. The bridge allows your kings to control large areas of the board while remaining safe. Learn to build and maintain bridges in the endgame.
In the endgame, having the right tempo — being the player who can force the opponent to move into a losing position — is critical. Practice counting moves to understand when you have the opposition and when you need to manoeuvre to gain it.
The best checkers players don't just react to their opponent — they create the conditions that force their opponent to react to them.
No. In standard checkers rules, regular pieces can only move diagonally forward. Only kings (pieces that have been crowned by reaching the opposite end of the board) can move in both directions.
Yes. If after making a capture jump your piece can make another capture, you must continue jumping. This applies to both regular pieces and kings. Multi-jump sequences are mandatory.
In Checkers Master, if more than one of your pieces can make a capture, you may choose which piece to move. However, once you begin a capturing sequence with one piece, you must complete all available jumps with that piece before your turn ends.
In Checkers Master, when a piece reaches the king row during a multi-jump sequence, it is crowned and its turn ends at that point. The newly crowned king cannot continue jumping in the same turn.