Checkers

Checkers, also called draughts, is played here by the English rules on an 8 × 8 board. Each side starts with twelve pieces on the dark squares; Red, at the bottom, moves first. Ordinary pieces (men) move one square diagonally forward. You capture by jumping over an opponent’s piece to the empty square beyond, and if a capture is available you must take it — when you can jump again from where you land, the jumps continue in the same turn. A man that reaches the far row is crowned king, shown with a flag, and can then move and capture backwards as well as forwards; being crowned ends that turn. You win when your opponent cannot move, because their pieces are all taken or blocked. Play against the computer — Easy, Medium or Hard, which looks six moves ahead — or with a friend on the same device. Select a piece that can move, then a square marked with a dot. A game with forty moves each and no capture or man moved is drawn.

1. Choose the computer (and its strength) or a friend.
2. Select a piece that can move; the squares it can reach show a dot.
3. Select the square to move there; jumps continue automatically.
4. Capture every piece, or leave your opponent with no move.

• English draughts rules: kings move one square, not across the board as in international draughts.
• When several capture routes are possible, any can be chosen; you do not have to take the most pieces.
• The game, including the computer player, runs in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Yes, by the standard rules: if a capture is possible you must make one, and finish its jumps.

Yes, one square diagonally in any direction, and it can capture backwards too.

Tab to the board, move with the arrow keys, press Enter on a piece and then on its destination. Escape clears the selection.

Red, the darker side. Against the computer, you are Red.