Draughts or checkers is a group of abstract strategy board games between two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over the enemy's pieces. Draughts is played by two people, on opposite sides of a playing board, alternating moves. One player has dark pieces, and the other has light pieces. The player with the dark pieces makes the first move unless stated otherwise. Pieces move diagonally and pieces of the opponent are captured by jumping over them. The playable surface consists only of the dark squares. A piece may only move into an unoccupied square. Capturing is mandatory. A piece that is captured is removed from the board. In all variants, the player who has no pieces left or cannot move anymore has lost the game unless otherwise stated.
CCSS.Math.Practice.MP1 Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
CCSS.Math.Practice.MP7 Look for and make use of structure.
Frequently Asked Questions about Checkers
How do you play Checkers?
Checkers is played on an eight by eight board where each side moves its pieces diagonally forward one square at a time. You capture an opponent's piece by jumping over it into an empty square beyond, and you can chain several jumps in one turn. The goal is to capture all of your opponent's pieces or leave them with no legal move.
What does it mean to get a king in Checkers?
When one of your pieces reaches the far row on your opponent's side, it becomes a king and gets crowned. A king can move and jump both forward and backward, which makes it much stronger than a regular piece and is often the key to winning the endgame.
What is a good strategy in Checkers?
Control the center, keep your pieces supported so they cannot be captured for free, and try to be the first to crown a king. Trading pieces when you are ahead simplifies the board in your favor, and watching for forced multi-jumps lets you win material in a single turn.
Is Checkers unblocked at school?
Yes. Checkers runs in your browser on Hooda Math with no downloads or plugins, so it works on school Chromebooks and through most classroom filters.
Is Checkers free to play?
Yes. Checkers is completely free on Hooda Math, with no account or downloads required.
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