Checkers: Play Free Online Against the Computer

Checkers: Play the Computer is our own take on the classic board game, played by the standard American rules (also called English draughts): an 8×8 board, twelve pieces a side, and moves only on the dark squares. Pick red, which moves first, or black, or let the game choose, then pick one of four computer opponents. Your side is always at the bottom of the board.

Pieces move one square diagonally forward. Jump over an opponent's piece onto the empty square beyond to capture it, and if another jump follows, keep going in the same move. Captures are compulsory, as in the official rules: when you can take, only the pieces that can take stay bright, so the rule is easy to follow. For a relaxed game you can switch compulsory captures off. A piece that reaches the far row is crowned king and can then move and jump backwards too. A game is drawn when the same position comes up three times, or after 40 moves each with no capture and no plain piece moving, and a counter shows when that draw is getting close.

Tap a piece and dots show every square it can reach; tap a dot or drag the piece there. A multi-jump plays out hop by hop and the captured pieces leave the board at the end. The last move stays outlined, the move list keeps the game in standard numbered notation, and Undo is free at any time: it takes back your move and the computer's reply.

The four opponents think in different ways. Pip (Easy) looks one move ahead and slips up often, Maple (Medium) sees a few moves ahead, Bram (Hard) searches much deeper, and Sage (Expert) spends up to a second on every move, many moves deep. The computer thinks in the background, so the board never freezes, and it varies its openings so no two games start alike.

Every day there are five new checkers puzzles, the same for everyone: two easy, two medium and one hard. Each is a real position, found by our own search, where exactly one move wins at least two pieces, or the whole game, against the best defence. Play your moves and the computer answers. Each puzzle is worth up to 200 points: 120 for solving it, less 30 for each wrong move (never below 30), plus up to 80 for speed (all 80 within 30 seconds, nothing after three minutes). Showing the answer scores 0, so a day is worth up to 1000, and your total goes on the leaderboard. Puzzles always use compulsory captures. Practice puzzles from the same collection of more than 2,000 positions are unlimited and don't count.

The only paid item is a hint, which costs gems: in a game it suggests the best move the strongest search finds, and in a puzzle it lights up the next move. Hints never change your score. Checkers: Play the Computer is free to play in your browser with no download or sign-up, and its board, pieces, sound effects and music are all made for the game.