Checkers
Classic draughts against the AI. Capture all opponent pieces or block them to win!
About Checkers
Checkers (also called Draughts) is a classic two-player board game played on an 8×8 grid. You play as red (bottom), the AI plays as black (top). It is one of the oldest strategy games in the world, known for its simple rules and deep tactical play.
Controls
- Click a red piece to select it - valid moves are highlighted on the board
- Click a highlighted square to move the selected piece there
- Easy / Med / Hard buttons - set AI difficulty before or during a game
- New Game button - reset the board at any time
How to Play
- Pieces move diagonally forward one square onto an empty dark square.
- Capture an opponent's piece by jumping over it to the empty square beyond - captures are mandatory if available.
- Multi-jump chains are possible in a single turn when multiple captures are available.
- Reach the opposite end of the board to become a King (★) - kings can move and capture in all four diagonal directions.
- Win by capturing all of the opponent's pieces or leaving them with no legal moves.
Frequently Asked Questions
When a piece reaches the far end of the board (the opponent's back row), it is crowned a King and gains the ability to move both forward and backward.
In standard checkers rules, jumps (captures) are mandatory when available. If you can capture an opponent's piece, you must do so. Multiple jumps in one turn are also required if possible.
The AI uses a minimax algorithm with alpha-beta pruning to evaluate positions and choose moves. Higher difficulty levels search deeper into future move sequences.
Win by capturing all of your opponent's pieces, or by leaving them with no legal moves (all pieces blocked). If neither player can make progress, the game is a draw.