Edition: Standard American checkers, also called English draughts, on an 8x8 board with 12 pieces each. Last checked October 25, 2026
Checkers Rules: How to Play Checkers
Checkers is a classic game for two where you jump over your opponent's pieces to capture them. There are several versions around the world, which is why people often disagree at the table. Here are the standard American rules, plus the spots where the Danish version, used in our online game, plays differently.
- Players
- 2
- Age
- 6 and up
- Playing time
- 15 to 30 minutes
How to win: You win when your opponent has no pieces left or cannot make a legal move.
Who is right?
The classic arguments at the table when you play Checkers.
Can regular pieces jump backward?
Not in American checkers.
In American checkers, regular pieces only move and jump forward. Only kings may jump backward. In Danish and international checkers, regular pieces may jump backward too, but they still only move forward when not capturing.
Many families play backward jumps for all pieces, as in Danish checkers. Agree before you start.
Do you have to jump if you can?
Yes.
Jumping is mandatory. If you can capture, you must, and you must finish every jump available to that piece in the same turn.
The old house rule called huffing: if your opponent forgets to jump, you may remove the piece that should have jumped. It is no longer part of the official rules.
Do you have to pick the jump that captures the most pieces?
Depends on the version.
In American checkers you may choose any available jump, even a shorter one, but you must finish all the jumps with the piece you chose. In international draughts you must take the jump that captures the most pieces.
Most families, in the US and in Denmark, let the player choose freely.
Can a king move several squares at a time?
Not in American checkers.
In American checkers a king moves only one square at a time, but in any diagonal direction. In Danish and international checkers a king flies along the diagonal and can capture from far away.
Some American families play with flying kings for a faster, wilder game.
Does a piece become a king if it reaches the far row in the middle of a jump?
Yes, and the turn ends.
In American checkers the piece is crowned and the move ends, even if it could jump more as a king. In international draughts it only becomes a king if it ends its move on the far row. In Russian checkers it becomes a king at once and keeps jumping as a king.
Many families simply say the piece is crowned once the move is over and it stands on the far row.
What you need
- A board with 8 by 8 squares, like a chess board
- 12 dark and 12 light pieces
Setup
- 1Place the board so each player has a dark square in the bottom left corner.
- 2You only play on the dark squares.
- 3Each player puts 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three rows closest to them.
- 4The two middle rows start empty.
How to play
- 1In American checkers, the dark pieces move first. After that, players take turns moving one piece at a time.
- 2A regular piece moves one square diagonally forward to an empty square.
- 3You capture by jumping diagonally over an opponent's piece to the empty square right behind it. The captured piece is removed.
- 4Regular pieces may only jump forward.
- 5If your piece can jump again from where it lands, it must keep jumping in the same turn.
- 6Jumping is mandatory: if you can capture, you must.
- 7When a piece reaches the far row, it becomes a king. Crown it by stacking a second piece on top. If it got there by jumping, the turn ends there.
- 8A king moves one square diagonally in any direction, forward or backward, and can jump both ways.
- 9The game ends when a player has lost all their pieces or cannot move.
Danish checkers: flying kings
In Danish and international checkers, a king may move any number of squares along a diagonal and capture from a distance, as long as the squares in between are empty. This is how our online game plays.
- The king jumps over a single opposing piece and may land on any empty square beyond it.
- You may never jump two pieces sitting right next to each other.
- You may not jump your own pieces.
- If the king can capture again after landing, it must continue.
House rules
Pick the rules you want to play with tonight. Everyone at the table has to agree.
Our Checkers rules for tonight
Everything else follows the official rules.
Frequently asked questions
Who goes first in checkers?
In American checkers, the dark pieces move first. In international draughts, white starts. In family games you can also draw lots.
What is the difference between American and Danish checkers?
In Danish checkers, regular pieces may jump backward and kings fly across the board. In American checkers, regular pieces only jump forward and kings move one square at a time. International draughts is played on a bigger 10 by 10 board with 20 pieces each.
Can checkers end in a draw?
Yes. If neither player can win, for example when both have only one or two kings left, you can agree to a draw.
Source: The standard rules of American checkers (English draughts), compared with Scandinavian tradition and the international draughts rules. The rules are written in our own words. Ask the referee if you are unsure.