Stepsies
For the parent

How to play checkers

Age 5+ Time 10 minutes

In short

Checkers is played on the dark squares of an 8 by 8 board. Each player has 12 pieces. The player with the darker pieces moves first.

  • A piece moves one square diagonally forward, onto an empty dark square.
  • You capture by jumping over an enemy piece next to you, onto the empty square behind it. If you can jump again, you must.
  • If you can jump, you must jump.
  • A piece that reaches the far row becomes a king. A king can move and jump backward too.
  • You win when the other player can't move: all their pieces are gone or blocked.
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The start: 12 pieces each, on the dark squares of the three rows nearest each player.
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Red jumps the black piece on d4, then must jump again over f6.

Teach it

  1. DoPut the board between you with a dark square at each player's left-hand corner. Set 12 pieces each on the dark squares of the three nearest rows.
  2. Say“We play only on the dark squares. Pieces move one step diagonally forward.”
  3. Say“To capture, jump over my piece to the empty square behind it. If you can jump, you must.”
  4. Ask“Your piece reached my last row. What happens?”
  5. Child“It becomes a king! Put another piece on top.”
Hand the screen to your child

Your turn!

Tap the red piece, then jump. Take both black pieces.

Three quick questions

  1. Which squares do you play on?

  2. You can jump a piece. Do you have to?

  3. How does a piece become a king?

Questions parents ask

Who goes first in checkers?

The player with the darker pieces moves first. In the WCDF rules the pieces are red and white, and red moves first. With a red and black set, black moves first.

Do you have to jump in checkers?

Yes. If you can jump, you must. If you can jump in more than one way, you may choose which jump to make, but you must finish the whole jump once you start.

Can a king jump backward?

Yes. A king moves and jumps forward and backward, one square diagonally at a time.

How do you win at checkers?

You win when the other player can't move, because all their pieces are captured or every piece they have is blocked.

Rules checked against Rules of Draughts (Checkers), World Checkers/Draughts Federation, at the American Checker Federation's site (the WCDF Rules of Draughts) on . Found something to fix? Tell us on the contact page.