How to Play Checkers
Checkers, called draughts in Britain, is a game for two players on an 8×8 board. Each player starts with 12 pieces, all on the dark squares, and the pieces move diagonally. You capture by jumping over an enemy piece. You win by capturing all your opponent's pieces or by leaving them with no legal move. The rules on this page are standard American checkers / English draughts, which kawu uses.
Setup
- Place the board so that each player has a dark square in their bottom-left corner.
- Each player puts 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three rows nearest to them. The two middle rows start empty.
- Dark moves first, then the players take turns.
Players number the dark squares from 1 to 32 to record games. Dark's pieces start on 1–12 and Light's on 21–32. Turn on "Show square numbers" in the game settings to see them.
Moving
An ordinary piece (a man) moves one square diagonally forward to an empty dark square. Pieces never move onto the light squares, and men never move sideways or backwards.
From the starting position Dark has exactly seven possible moves, all from the front row.
Capturing
If an enemy piece is diagonally next to one of your pieces and the square directly behind it is empty, you can jump over it into that empty square. The piece you jumped is captured and taken off the board. Men only capture forwards.
Three rules make capturing the heart of the game:
- Captures are mandatory. If you can capture, you must. On kawu, only the pieces that can capture are selectable and the status bar says "You must capture".
- You may choose which capture. If several captures are available, you can pick any of them, even one that takes fewer pieces than another. (International draughts is different; see below.)
- Multi-jumps must be completed. If, after landing, the same piece can jump again, it must keep jumping in the same turn, possibly changing direction, until no more jumps are possible.
Kings
When a man reaches the far row it is crowned and becomes a king. On a real board you crown it by stacking a captured piece on top; on kawu it gets a crown symbol.
- A king moves one square diagonally in any direction, forwards or backwards.
- A king captures forwards and backwards, still one piece per jump.
- Crowning ends the move. If a man reaches the far row during a multi-jump, it stops there even if it could jump again as a king.
Winning
You win when your opponent, on their turn:
- has no pieces left, or
- has no legal move because all their pieces are blocked.
Draws
A game is drawn when:
- the same position occurs three times with the same player to move,
- 40 moves by each player (80 turns in total) pass without a capture and without any man moving, or
- both players agree. On kawu you can offer the computer a draw. It accepts when the position is level or it is behind.
Notation
Moves are written with square numbers. 11-15 means a piece moved from 11 to 15, and 15x24 means a capture from 15 to 24. A multi-jump lists every landing square: 10x19x26.
Variants around the world
| Variant | Board | Main differences from American checkers |
|---|---|---|
| International draughts | 10×10, 20 pieces each | Men capture backwards; kings "fly" any distance; you must take the maximum number of pieces |
| Pool checkers (US) | 8×8 | Men capture backwards; flying kings; free choice of capture |
| Russian draughts | 8×8 | Men capture backwards; flying kings; a man crowned mid-jump keeps jumping as a king |
| Italian draughts | 8×8 | Men cannot capture kings; detailed rules about which capture to take |
| Turkish draughts | 8×8, 16 pieces each | Pieces move straight (orthogonally), not diagonally |
International draughts is the most likely next variant on kawu.
Not to be confused with Chinese checkers. Chinese checkers is a different game played on a star-shaped board with marbles. It is not related to draughts.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to jump in checkers?
Yes. If any of your pieces can capture, you must make a capture instead of a normal move. If several captures are possible, you may choose any of them; you do not have to take the one that wins the most pieces.
Can a regular piece jump backwards?
No, not in American checkers. Ordinary pieces move and capture only forwards. Kings move and capture both forwards and backwards.
Can a king move more than one square?
No. In American checkers a king moves one square diagonally in any direction and captures by jumping one adjacent piece. Long-range "flying" kings belong to international draughts and some other variants.
If my piece is crowned during a multi-jump, can it keep jumping?
No. When a piece reaches the far row and becomes a king, the move ends immediately. It can use its new powers on the next turn.
Who goes first in checkers?
The darker pieces move first. On kawu you play Dark by default, and you can choose Light in the settings.
How does a game of checkers end in a draw?
When the same position appears for the third time with the same player to move, after 40 moves by each player without a capture or an ordinary piece moving, or when both players agree.
Last updated 2026-10-17