Master the rules, learn the controls, and discover winning strategies. From your first move to your first crown.
Checkers Master follows standard American/British checkers rules. Here's everything broken down step by step.
The game is played on an 8×8 board with 64 alternating dark and light squares. Only the dark squares are used. Each player starts with 12 pieces placed on the three rows closest to their side of the board. Pieces are only placed on dark squares.
Regular pieces (also called "men") move diagonally forward — one square at a time — onto an empty dark square. You cannot move backward with a regular piece. You cannot move onto a square occupied by another piece (yours or your opponent's).
To capture an opponent's piece, jump diagonally over it to the empty square directly beyond. The captured piece is removed from the board. Captures are mandatory — if you can jump, you must jump. If multiple captures are available in a single turn, you must chain them together in one continuous move.
When a piece reaches the last row on the opposite side of the board, it becomes a "king." Kings are visually marked (usually with a crown symbol or stacked piece). Kings can move and capture both forward and backward diagonally, giving them significantly more power and flexibility.
You win when you capture all 12 of your opponent's pieces, or when your opponent has no legal moves left (all their pieces are blocked). In some variations, a draw can be declared if no captures or advancements occur after a set number of moves.
Pieces in the center of the board have more movement options and are harder to trap. In the early game, focus on advancing your central pieces while keeping your back row intact for defense. Avoid moving edge pieces too early — they have limited escape routes.
Checkers Master uses intuitive drag-and-drop controls that work on any device.
Click on a piece to select it, then click the destination square. Alternatively, click and drag the piece directly to where you want it. Legal moves are highlighted on the board.
Tap a piece to select it, then tap the target square. You can also touch, hold, and drag the piece across the board. The game detects your input method automatically.
When chaining captures, the game will keep your turn active. Simply continue selecting the next target square for each subsequent jump until no more captures are available.
Take your game beyond the basics with these competitive strategies.
Keep at least one piece in your double corner (the corner square adjacent to two of your back-row pieces). This creates a defensive fortress that's extremely hard to crack and buys you time to launch attacks elsewhere on the board.
Since captures are mandatory, you can sacrifice a piece in a specific position to force your opponent into a bad move. Set up a "bait" piece that, when captured, opens a multi-jump sequence for you on the very next turn.
When the board is nearly cleared and kings are facing off, positioning becomes everything. Try to push the opponent's king toward an edge or corner where its movement options are limited. Use two kings to "herd" a lone king into a trap.
Don't rush. Sometimes the best move is a quiet, non-aggressive advance that improves your board position without revealing your plan. Good checkers players think 3-5 moves ahead and avoid giving the opponent opportunities to set up multi-captures.
Board: 8×8, dark squares only · Pieces: 12 per player · Movement: Diagonal, forward only (kings: both directions) · Captures: Mandatory, can chain · Crowning: Reach back row · Win: Capture all or block all
You know the rules. You know the strategies. Now it's time to play. Launch Checkers Master and see how far your skills can take you.
Play Checkers Master