Checkers Rules

Checkers is a two-player game, where one player is assigned white checkers and the other red. Each player has 12 checkers to start the game.

Aim of the game

The object of the game is to capture the other player's checkers or make them impossible to move

Start of the game

The game is started in the position shown below on a checkers board consisting of 64 squares in an 8x8 grid. The red player moves first. Then each player takes a single turn. In fact, a player must move in turn. In other words a move cannot be skipped.

Playing the game

A move consists of placing one checker on a different square.

Capture

Captures or 'jumps' are mandatory. If a square diagonally in front of a man is occupied by an opponent's piece, and if the square beyond that piece in the same direction is empty, the man may 'jump' over the opponent's piece and land on the empty square. The opponent's piece is captured and removed from the board.

Multiple Jumps

If, after making a capture, a piece is in a position to make another capture (either along the same diagonal or a different one) it must do so, all as part of the same turn. 

Capturing two opposing pieces in a turn is called a double jump, capturing three pieces in a turn is a triple jump , and so on.

If you have a choice of jumps, you may choose among them, regardless of whether they are multiple or not.

Kings

When a single piece reaches the last rank of the board by reason of a move, or as the completion of a 'jump', it becomes a king; and that completes the move, or 'jump'.

A King can move in any direction and 'jump' in any direction one or more pieces, as the limits of the board permit. The King can only jump diagonally over one adjacent piece at a time, in any of the four diagonal directions. Multiple jumps apply to kings as well.

End of the game

Winning

The game is won by the player

who has captured all of the opponent's pieces

whose opponent declares he resigns.

Draw

The game is drawn when there is no capture or promotion to king for 40 pairs of consecutive moves.

The game is drawn automatically if there is no winner after 200 moves (100 each).

Losing

The game is lost by a player who cannot make any legal move on the board.