Do you have to jump in checkers?

Yes. Under official rules every capture is compulsory. If you have a jump anywhere on the board, you must take it instead of making a plain move. When you have more than one jump available, you can choose any of them, even if another would take more pieces.

Can a regular checker move backward?

No. An uncrowned checker moves and jumps only diagonally forward. Once it reaches the far row and is crowned, it becomes a king and can move and jump both forward and backward. That makes crowning a king one of the main goals of the middle game.

Who goes first in checkers?

The player with the darker pieces moves first. On most US sets that means black moves before red. In official WCDF play the pieces are red and white, and red moves first. Players usually alternate colors from game to game.

Can a king jump right after being crowned?

No. Under WCDF rules, crowning ends your turn. If a man reaches the king row in the middle of a multiple jump, it stops there and is crowned. It can jump as a king starting on your next turn. Some families let the new king keep jumping, but that is a house rule.

Can you jump more than one piece in checkers?

Yes. After a jump, if the same piece can jump again, it must keep going, and the direction can change between jumps. A man still jumps only forward. Once a multiple jump starts, you have to complete it. You also can't stop partway to avoid a trap.

How do you win at checkers?

You win when your opponent has no legal move on their turn. Most often that's because you've captured all 12 of their pieces. It also counts if every piece they have left is blocked in. A player can also resign.

What is the 40-move rule in checkers?

Under WCDF rules, a draw can be claimed when each player has made 40 moves in a row with no captures and no uncrowned man moved toward the king row. It stops endgames with only kings from going on forever. Players can also agree to a draw at any time.

Which way does a checkerboard go?

Each player should have a dark square in the near left corner and a light square in the near right corner. The checkers go on the dark squares of the three rows nearest you. The area on your right with two dark squares together is the double corner.

How to Play Checkers: Rules, Jumps and Kings

1Object of the game

Leave your opponent without a legal move. Usually that means capturing all 12 of their pieces. It also counts if every piece they have left is blocked in. Kings, which can move backward, do most of the work in the endgame.

2Setup

Place the board so each player has a dark square in the near left corner and a light square in the near right corner. The corner on your right, with two dark squares close together, is called the double corner.
Only the 32 dark squares are used. Each player puts their 12 checkers on the dark squares of the three rows closest to them, leaving the two middle rows empty.
The player with the darker pieces moves first. On most US sets that's black against red. Official WCDF sets are red and white, and red goes first. In a series of games, players switch colors each game.

3The play

On your turn, move one of your pieces. An uncrowned piece (a man) moves one square diagonally forward, to the left or right, onto an empty dark square.
Capture by jumping. If an enemy piece sits diagonally next to your piece and the square just beyond it is empty, jump over it to that square and remove the enemy piece from the board. Men jump forward only.
If you can jump, you must. When more than one capture is available, you may choose any of them, even one that takes fewer pieces.
Keep jumping with the same piece while more jumps are open to it. A multiple jump can change direction, but once it starts you have to finish it.
When one of your men reaches the far row, it is crowned by stacking a second checker of the same color on top of it. Crowning ends your turn, even if the new king could jump again right away.
A king moves one square diagonally in any direction, forward or backward, and captures by jumping in any direction.

4End of a hand

A game ends when one player cannot move on their turn. That happens because all their pieces are gone or every remaining piece is blocked. A player may also resign. Games between careful players often end in a draw, either by agreement or under a draw rule.

5Scoring

Checkers has no points during a game. The table shows how a game can end under the World Checkers Draughts Federation (WCDF) rules that the American Checker Federation plays by.

For	Points
Opponent has no pieces left	Win
Opponent's remaining pieces are all blocked	Win
Opponent resigns, forfeits or runs out of time	Win
Both players agree	Draw
The same position occurs for the third time	Draw
40 moves each with no man moved toward the king row and no capture	Draw

Under WCDF rules, the repetition and 40-move draws must be shown to the referee by the player claiming them. At home, most people call a game drawn when each side has only a king or two left and neither can trap the other.

6Winning

The player who makes the last move wins. Your opponent loses when they can't move, whether their pieces are all captured or all stuck. If neither side can force a win, the game is a draw. Computer analysis finished in 2007 showed checkers is a draw with perfect play.

7A worked hand

Standard notation numbers the 32 dark squares 1 to 32. Black starts on 1–12 and White on 21–32, and Black moves first. Black opens 11-15, moving a man one square diagonally forward. White answers 22-18. Now the two men sit diagonally next to each other: 15 and 18. It's Black's turn, so Black must capture: 15x22, jumping over the man on 18 and landing on the empty square 22 that White just left. White's man on 18 comes off the board. White must recapture, and has a choice of two jumps: 25x18 or 26x17. White plays 25x18, jumping the Black man on 22 and landing on 18. Each side has lost one man, so the count is 11 against 11. This exchange is a standard opening called the Single Corner.

8House rules

The rules above are the version most US players use. These are the variations you are most likely to run into; settle them before the first deal.

Huffing: In older home rules, if a player misses a jump, the opponent can remove (huff) the piece that should have jumped. Huffing is no longer part of the official game. Under WCDF rules the capture is compulsory, so the jump must be made.
Optional jumps: Many kids play that jumping is optional. Official rules make every capture compulsory, which changes the game a lot because you can force your opponent into bad trades.
Keep jumping after crowning: Some families let a man that reaches the king row keep jumping as a king in the same turn. Under WCDF rules, crowning ends the move and the new king waits for the next turn.
Flying kings: In some other draughts games, such as the 10 × 10 international version, kings can move any distance along a diagonal. American checkers kings move one square at a time.
Three-move restriction: Tournament players draw the first three moves at random from a list of accepted openings so games don't repeat the same safe lines. It has been used in the US championship since 1934.

9Mistakes people make

Jumping is mandatory. If you have a capture available, you must take it, though you can pick which one when there's a choice.
Uncrowned men never move or jump backward. Only kings can.
A man that reaches the king row by jumping is crowned and stops there. It can't keep jumping as a king until your next turn.
The board goes with a dark square in each player's near left corner, and all play is on the dark squares.

10Playing better

Keep your back row filled as long as you can. While those squares are occupied, your opponent can't crown a king.
Control the center squares. Men in the middle have more options and are harder to trap than men on the edges.
Use forced jumps against your opponent. Offer one piece so their capture lands them where you can double-jump back.
Move your pieces forward in groups. A lone man in front can usually be picked off, while men side by side protect each other.
When you're ahead, trade pieces one for one. Six against five is hard to win, but three against two is much easier.

Checkers: questions people ask

Do you have to jump in checkers?: Yes. Under official rules every capture is compulsory. If you have a jump anywhere on the board, you must take it instead of making a plain move. When you have more than one jump available, you can choose any of them, even if another would take more pieces.
Can a regular checker move backward?: No. An uncrowned checker moves and jumps only diagonally forward. Once it reaches the far row and is crowned, it becomes a king and can move and jump both forward and backward. That makes crowning a king one of the main goals of the middle game.
Who goes first in checkers?: The player with the darker pieces moves first. On most US sets that means black moves before red. In official WCDF play the pieces are red and white, and red moves first. Players usually alternate colors from game to game.
Can a king jump right after being crowned?: No. Under WCDF rules, crowning ends your turn. If a man reaches the king row in the middle of a multiple jump, it stops there and is crowned. It can jump as a king starting on your next turn. Some families let the new king keep jumping, but that is a house rule.
Can you jump more than one piece in checkers?: Yes. After a jump, if the same piece can jump again, it must keep going, and the direction can change between jumps. A man still jumps only forward. Once a multiple jump starts, you have to complete it. You also can't stop partway to avoid a trap.
How do you win at checkers?: You win when your opponent has no legal move on their turn. Most often that's because you've captured all 12 of their pieces. It also counts if every piece they have left is blocked in. A player can also resign.
What is the 40-move rule in checkers?: Under WCDF rules, a draw can be claimed when each player has made 40 moves in a row with no captures and no uncrowned man moved toward the king row. It stops endgames with only kings from going on forever. Players can also agree to a draw at any time.
Which way does a checkerboard go?: Each player should have a dark square in the near left corner and a light square in the near right corner. The checkers go on the dark squares of the three rows nearest you. The area on your right with two dark squares together is the double corner.

Sources

Checked by Morgan Hale against the sources below. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.

WCDF Checker / Draughts English Rules, World Checkers Draughts Federation (via North Carolina Checker Association). Read September 29, 2026.
ACF Rules for National Tournaments, American Checker Federation (via North Carolina Checker Association). Read September 29, 2026.
English draughts, Wikipedia. Read September 29, 2026.

Also on the table: Chess, Backgammon, Mancala, Dominoes.