Checkers, also called draughts, is a two-player game on an 8 by 8 board where each side starts with 12 pieces that move one square diagonally forward at a time. You win by capturing all your opponent's pieces or leaving them with no move, and if you can jump an opponent's piece, you have to.
This page follows the World Checkers/Draughts Federation's Rules of Draughts (Checkers), English edition, as of November 2026; the document doesn't print an edition year. These rules cover the 8 by 8 game where ordinary pieces only capture forwards and kings move one square at a time. Other national versions of draughts work differently, so if someone at the table plays another way, that's what's going on.
Board, squares and the starting position
The board has 64 squares, alternately light and dark, in 8 rows and 8 columns. Only the 32 dark squares are used, and they're numbered 1 to 32 for writing games down. On official equipment the dark squares are green. The board sits so that a dark square is in each player's near left corner and a light square is on the near right.
Each player has 12 pieces, called men. One side has dark discs and the other light, and the official colours are red and white (you'll also see them called black and white). Here's the setup at a glance:
| What | The rules say |
|---|---|
| Squares on the board | 64, of which the 32 dark squares are played on |
| Pieces each | 12 men |
| Red starts on | Squares 1 to 12 |
| White starts on | Squares 21 to 32 |
| Who moves first | The player with the Red men |
| Choosing colours | Random selection, such as a coin toss, for the first game; alternate after that |
| Square size | Between 4.5 and 5 centimetres |
| Pieces | Cylindrical, between 3 and 4 centimetres across |
How men and kings move
An ordinary move of a man is one square diagonally forward, to the left or right, onto an empty neighbouring square. A man can't move backwards. Ever. That's one of the most common beginner slips, and the rules treat it as an illegal move.
When a man reaches the farthest row forward, called the king row, it becomes a king and that ends the turn. You crown it by placing another man of the same colour on top. A king moves one square diagonally, forward or backward, and captures the same way a man does but in either direction.
People who learnt other versions sometimes expect a king to slide along a whole diagonal. In these rules it moves one square, so a long sweeping king move isn't legal here.
Jumps, multiple jumps and compulsory capture
A capturing move is called a jump. Your man jumps over a diagonally adjacent opponent's piece onto the empty square right behind it, and the jumped piece comes off the board. Kings jump forwards or backwards.
Here's the rule people miss: all capturing moves are compulsory. It doesn't matter whether your opponent offered the piece on purpose or simply left it open. If a jump is there, you take it, and you can't make a quiet move instead. Missing a capture is an illegal move.
When you've got a choice, the rules are kinder than many players think. Here's how to decide your move each turn:
- Check every one of your pieces for an available jump before you touch anything.
- If any jump exists, you must make a jump. A non-capturing move isn't allowed.
- If there are two or more ways to jump, pick any of them. You don't have to choose the one that takes the most pieces.
- After landing, see whether the same piece can jump again. If it can, keep going until all jumps are done. A piece can only be jumped once in a multiple jump.
- If your man lands on the king row during a jump, it's crowned and stops there, even if another jump would be available. It can't continue until your opponent has moved.
- If there's no jump anywhere, make an ordinary one-square diagonal move.
Touch-move and what counts as an illegal move
If you touch a piece on your turn, you must play that piece. The only way out is to warn your opponent first that you're adjusting: you can straighten pieces on their squares once you've said so.
A false or illegal move gets a caution the first time, and the move is taken back. For any later offence in the same game, the player forfeits the game. The rules give these as examples:
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- Failing to make a capture that was available.
- Moving a man backwards.
- Moving when it isn't your turn.
Ways to win, and the three ways to draw
There are no points in checkers. A game is either won or drawn. You win by making the last move, which means your opponent has no move on their turn because every piece they have is captured or blocked. You also win if your opponent resigns at any point, forfeits the game, or fails to reach the time control when clocks are used.
A game is drawn in three situations:
- Both players agree to a draw.
- A player can show they'd be creating the same position for the third time in the game.
- During each player's own previous 40 moves, neither player has advanced an uncrowned man towards the king row and no pieces have been removed from the board.
That last one stops two players shuffling kings around forever. In tournament play with clocks, the first time control is 30 moves per hour for the first hour, then 15 moves per half hour after that, and missing it loses the game whatever the position.
How I'd teach checkers at the kitchen table
I'd start with three rules before the first move: men only go forwards, jumps are compulsory, and a king moves one square in any diagonal direction. Those three settle most of the questions new players ask. I'd add touch-move once everyone's comfortable, because it's the rule that turns a casual game into a fair one.
I'd skip the clock rules and the square numbering unless you're entering a club event. If checkers becomes a regular thing in your house, chess is the natural next step, and my round-up of board games for two players has plenty more for evenings in.
Frequently asked questions
How many pieces does each player have in checkers?
12 each, on a board of 64 squares of which only the 32 dark squares are used.
Is capturing compulsory in checkers?
Yes. All capturing moves are compulsory, and a multiple jump must be completed once started. If there are two or more ways to jump you can choose any of them.
How does a piece become a king?
When a man reaches the farthest row forward it becomes a king, which ends the turn, and a second piece of the same colour is placed on top to crown it.
Who moves first in checkers?
The player with the Red men. Colours are chosen at random in the first game and alternate in later games.
How does a checkers game end in a draw?
By agreement, by the same position being created for the third time, or when each player's previous 40 moves have no uncrowned man advanced and no pieces removed.
