How to play Checkers

The goal

Moving

• Pieces move one square diagonally forward, on the dark squares only.
• Tap one of your pieces to pick it up (the squares it can reach are ringed), then tap a square. Or drag the piece there.
• If only one of your pieces can reach a square, tapping that square moves it.

Jumping

• Jump over a diagonally neighboring enemy piece into the empty square just beyond it to take that piece.
• Jumping is compulsory: when any jump is possible you must make one. Pieces that can jump are ringed in amber.
• After a jump, keep jumping with the same piece if you can. When there is only one way on, the piece carries on by itself; at a fork, tap the next square.
• When you have a choice of jumps, you may pick any of them, not only the longest.

Kings

• A piece that reaches the far row is crowned: it becomes a king, stacked two high with a crown.
• Kings move and jump diagonally both forward and backward.
• A piece that is crowned during a jump stops there; the turn ends.

Winning and draws

• You win when the computer has no pieces left or none of its pieces can move. The same goes the other way.
• The game is a draw if the same position comes up three times with the same player to move.
• It is also a draw after 40 moves each with no jump and no uncrowned piece moving.
• Resign gives the game to the computer. Starting a new game part way counts as a loss.

Undo and levels

• Undo takes back your last move and the computer’s reply.
• Easy makes mistakes, Normal looks a few moves ahead, and Hard thinks deeply. Your fastest win is kept for each level.

Questions

Strategy guides