Play Checkers Online
Classic English checkers in the browser. Invite a friend or add a bot, and play move by move in real time.
Can you play checkers online for free with a friend?
Yes. It is standard English checkers on an 8×8 board in the browser: send a friend your lobby code or play a bot on easy, medium or hard. A guest name is all the account you need.
What is Checkers?
Checkers, also called draughts, is a two-player strategy game on the dark squares of an 8×8 board, where pieces move diagonally and capture by jumping.
Captures are compulsory, and a piece that reaches the far row becomes a king. Take every piece or leave your opponent without a move to win.
How to play
- 1Create or join a lobbyOpen a room, or join a friend's with its code. Each room seats two.
- 2Choose friend or botSend the code or the link. If nobody is free, add a bot.
- 3Tap a piece, then a squareLegal destinations light up. When a capture is on, the pieces that must take are highlighted.
- 4Crown kings and winReach the far row to crown a king. Leave your opponent with no legal move to win.
Checkers rules
- 1Twelve men a side on the 32 dark squares of an 8×8 board. Dark moves first.
- 2A man moves one square diagonally forward and captures forward only.
- 3Capturing is compulsory, but you may pick any capture, not only the longest.
- 4The jumping piece must keep jumping while it can; jumped pieces come off when the move ends.
- 5A man reaching the far row becomes a king, which ends the move.
- 6A king moves and captures one square diagonally in any direction; it does not fly.
- 7You win when your opponent cannot move. Forty moves each with no capture and no man moving is a draw, and so is one king against one king when neither can capture.
Modes and settings
- Seconds per move
60 seconds a move by default. The host picks 30 to 120 when creating the lobby, or 30 to 180 in 30-second steps in the lobby settings before the start. Play vs Bot gives 45.
- Three bot levels
Checkers Rookie moves at random. Diagonal Tactician looks one reply ahead and avoids moves that let you win at once. Kingmaker searches several moves deep for up to about a second.
- Rematches keep score
The host's Play Again starts the next game in the same room. Wins add up; draws add nothing.
Checkers strategy
- 1.Guard your back row
Home-row men stop enemy crowning. Move them last.
- 2.Hold the centre
A central man has two squares forward; an edge man has one.
- 3.Move in pairs
A man backed up on its diagonal cannot be jumped along it.
- 4.Use the forced capture
Offer a man so the forced jump lets you take two back.
- 5.Read the whole chain
Follow where each jump lands; gaps can turn one capture into three.
- 6.Race for the first king
A king moves backwards too and usually decides an even ending.
- 7.Trade when ahead
One man up, even exchanges lead to an ending you can win.
- 8.Crowning stops a chain
A man crowned mid-capture stops there for that move.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting where a forced jump lands
Your opponent can force you to capture. Check where your man would land.
- Emptying the back row early
It opens crowning squares for the enemy.
- Thinking past the clock
A timeout loses the game, even from a winning position.
Playing together online
- Play a friend anywhere
Share the code or link; moves appear on both boards live, with a chat beside the board.
- Practise alone
Play vs Bot opens a lobby with your bot seated. Press Start; you play Dark.
- One clock for both
Both players see one countdown. If it reaches zero on your move with the game open, you lose.
- Straight from the browser
No install on phone, tablet or computer; a guest name is enough.
Why play Checkers on Boardly?
- Real-time multiplayer in the browser.
- Three bot levels for solo play.
- Forced captures and jump chains handled for you.
- Free to play as a guest.
Who it suits
Checkers suits anyone after real strategy without chess theory, and makes a good first strategy game for children.
Where Checkers comes from
North Americans say checkers, the British draughts. Russian and Brazilian checkers let men capture backwards and kings fly; international draughts uses a 10×10 board.
This English version is solved: in 2007 the program Chinook proved perfect play ends in a draw.
Questions about Checkers on Boardly
- Is Checkers on Boardly free?
- Yes, including all three bots. Premium adds extras such as spectators and lobby themes for hosts, and a longer game history; the game is the same.
- Do I need an account to play?
- No. A guest name is enough to create or join a lobby or play a bot; signing up is optional.
- Can I play on my phone?
- Yes, in the mobile browser with no app to install: tap a piece, then a highlighted square.
- Which checkers rules does Boardly use?
- English draughts, with forward-only men and one-step kings. Russian, Brazilian and international rules are not offered.
- Who moves first?
- Dark, held by the first seat, and Play Again does not swap colours. Against a bot you always play Dark.
- What happens when my time runs out?
- You lose the game, even from a winning position. The countdown on screen shows how long you have left, so plan the last seconds of a hard move.
- Can I undo a move or offer a draw?
- No, every move stands. A game is drawn only after forty moves each with no capture and no man moving, or at once when each side is down to a single king and neither can capture.