Checkers
You are red and move first. Tap a piece, then a green dot to move it one square diagonally forward. Jump over an enemy piece to capture it if you want to (jumping is never forced), and when one jump leads to another you keep going, tapping each landing square. Reach the far row to crown a king, which moves and jumps both ways. Arrow keys and Enter work too. Take every piece, or leave the other side with no move, to win.
Checkers — a free online arcade game on TotType
Checkers is the classic board game, played against the computer or a friend on the same screen. Each side has twelve pieces on the dark squares. Pieces move one square diagonally forward and capture by jumping over an enemy piece to the empty square beyond. Jumping is your choice, so any piece with an open square can move, but a jump that leads to another must keep going, and a piece that reaches the far row is crowned a king that can move and jump backwards too. The computer comes in three strengths: easy sometimes slips, medium looks a few moves ahead and hard looks much further. Against the computer, captures, kings and a win score points, with a bigger win bonus on the harder levels. It's free in any browser with no download — anyone can try a demo run with no account, and a free parent account with a verified email unlocks unlimited play.
- Ages
- 8 and up
- Players
- 1 or 2 on one screen, or up to 4 online
- Online
- With everyone playing it now, or in a private room with a 4-character code; bots (marked 🤖) fill empty seats
- Controls
- Keyboard, mouse or touch
- Scored in
- pts · posts to the arcade leaderboard
- Shelf
- Card & board games
- Cost
- Free — try a demo run with no account (one run, up to 90 seconds, twice a day; not saved); a free parent account with a verified email unlocks unlimited play and saved scores
- En español
- Checkers en español
How to play Checkers
You are red and move first. Tap a piece, then a green dot to move it one square diagonally forward. Jump over an enemy piece to capture it if you want to (jumping is never forced), and when one jump leads to another you keep going, tapping each landing square. Reach the far row to crown a king, which moves and jumps both ways. Arrow keys and Enter work too. Take every piece, or leave the other side with no move, to win.
Tips & tricks
- Keep your back row at home as long as you can: while it's full, the other side can't crown a king.
- Trade pieces when you are ahead: the fewer pieces on the board, the more an extra one counts.
- Before you move, check which of your pieces could be jumped next: a piece with an empty square behind it is open to capture.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Checkers?
You are red and move first. Tap one of your pieces, then a green dot. Men move one square diagonally forward; jump over an enemy piece to capture it. Reach the far row and the piece becomes a king, which can move and jump backwards as well. Arrow keys and Enter work too.
Do I have to jump?
No. Any piece with an open square can move, so you jump only when you want to; the pieces that could jump glow as a hint. Once you jump, if the landing square has another jump, keep going: the whole chain is one move. A piece that is crowned on the far row stops there.
How do you win, and how is it scored?
Take all of the other side's pieces, or leave them with no legal move. Against the computer each capture scores 10 (20 for a king), each crown 15 and a draw 50; a win scores 100 on easy, 200 on medium or 300 on hard, plus 10 for every piece you still have. Forty moves each without a capture or a crown is a draw.
Can I play Checkers online with friends?
Yes. Open Checkers and choose Play online to join everyone playing it right now: up to 4 players a round, all starting together, and the highest score wins. When nobody else is on, computer players marked as bots hold the empty seats, and a real player always takes a bot's place. To play only with friends, make a private room and share its 4-character code. Online play needs a free parent account with a verified email, and players see only each other's nicknames and scores: there is no chat.