See the capture before you invent a plan
English draughts is not a memory test. Sit at the 8×8 board and watch the dark squares: is a jump waiting, can that landing square jump again, and is anyone a step from the last row. Answer those three and the first game already has a shape.
If you came for Chinese checkers, this is a different game
Each side starts with twelve men and plays only on the dark squares. A man steps one square diagonally forward. To capture, you hop an adjacent enemy piece and land on the empty dark square beyond it. If any hop is legal, the quiet slide disappears — you have to take a jump.
Reach the far row and that man becomes a king. A king may step one square diagonally in either direction, but it cannot sail the length of a diagonal. This is English and American draughts, not the 10×10 flying-king game and not the star-shaped parlour game.
The opening is mostly about not feeding a jump
Black moves first. Your men can only edge forward, so the useful first job is not grabbing the centre. It is keeping a man from walking into a capture the other side is required to take.
Once pieces touch, the board chooses for you
The moment a legal hop exists, ordinary one-square moves vanish. If the same piece can hop again from the landing square, it has to finish the run. That chain is where a first game is won or given away.
Promotion is a finish, not a race
A man only crowns on the last row. The new king can retreat, but it still steps one square at a time. Holding your own back row often steadies a position faster than rushing a lonely king forward.
- On your own
- Play the local computer. Hint, undo, and replay are there so you can test a jump instead of hoping you guessed right.
- Across a table
- Share one phone or laptop. When a double jump shows up, you can stop and count the landing squares together.
- From another city
- Open a temporary room and send the link. The lobby also lists public games that are still waiting for a second seat.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of checkers is this?
This board uses 8×8 English and American draughts. Play is on the dark squares, Black moves first, captures are compulsory, and a man crowns on the far row. A king moves one square diagonally in either direction; this is not Chinese checkers or 10×10 international draughts.
Why will the board not let me make an ordinary move?
Look for a jump anywhere on your side. In English draughts, a legal capture makes every quiet diagonal move unavailable. If the same piece can capture again after it lands, it must complete that jumping run too.
Can I play with a friend?
Yes. Two people can share one device and take turns in Two Players mode. If you are apart, create a temporary room and send its link to a friend. Online moves stay in sync and use the same rules as the local board.
Do I need an account or an internet connection to play the AI?
No account is needed. The computer searches locally, so you can continue an AI game after the page has loaded without a connection. Two Players mode is local too; only online rooms need a network connection.
Can I undo a move?
AI and same-device games let you undo and replay key sequences. Online rooms do not offer undo, because a move already sent to the other player cannot be withdrawn by only one side.