This is the complete rules reference for standard American checkers (English draughts). It's written to be the page you can point anyone to when there's a dispute. For a slower, beginner-friendly walkthrough, see How to Play Checkers; this page is the concise canonical version.
The objective
Checkers is a two-player game. You win by capturing all of your opponent's pieces, or by leaving them with no legal move on their turn. There is no draw by stalemate as in chess — a player who cannot move loses.
The board and setup
The board is 8×8 with 64 alternating light and dark squares; play happens only on the 32 dark squares. Each player begins with 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three rows nearest them, leaving the two center rows empty. The player with the dark pieces moves first, then turns alternate.
How pieces move
A regular piece (a "man") moves one square diagonally forward onto an empty dark square. It cannot move straight, sideways, or backward, and cannot move onto an occupied square. "Forward" means toward the opponent's side.
How capturing works
You capture by jumping diagonally over an adjacent opponent piece into the empty square directly beyond it, then removing the jumped piece. The landing square must be empty. You may never jump your own pieces.
Capturing is mandatory
If a capture is available on your turn, you must take it. If more than one capture is available, you may choose which to make (in standard American rules there is no "must take the most" requirement). This forced-capture rule is central to checkers tactics.
Multi-jumps
After a jump, if the same piece can immediately jump again, it must continue, capturing two or more pieces in one turn. Multi-jumps continue until that piece has no further capture. A regular piece's multi-jumps must all be forward; a king may combine forward and backward jumps.
Kinging
When a piece reaches the opponent's back row (the king's row) it is crowned a king. A king moves and jumps diagonally both forward and backward (one square at a time in standard checkers). If a piece reaches the king's row in the middle of a jump, it is crowned and its turn ends — it does not continue jumping as a king that turn.
How the game ends
The game ends when a player has no legal move — either because all their pieces are captured, or because their remaining pieces are blocked. That player loses. A game is drawn when neither side can force a win, which between strong players is the typical result of perfect play.
Common rule points, settled
- You cannot decline a jump to keep a piece safe — captures are forced.
- Regular pieces never move or jump backward; only kings do.
- You never jump your own pieces, in any direction.
- Light squares are never used.
- There is no stalemate; no-move means a loss.
Rule differences in variants
Standard American checkers is one of a family. International and Russian draughts let regular pieces capture backward and use flying kings that slide and capture from a distance; some variants require taking the longest available capture; Turkish checkers moves orthogonally across all squares. See the variants hub for each one's rules.
Play by the rules now
Our engine enforces every rule above automatically — mandatory captures, multi-jumps, kinging, and end conditions — so every game is legal. Start one on the home page.