Play checkers against the computer ▶ Play now — runs natively, no emulator
Guide updated October 2026 · Runs via WebAssembly (native port)
Checkers by the American rules (English draughts) against a computer opponent. You play red and move first. Tap a piece and the squares it can reach light up; if a capture is available you must take it, and the board only lets you pick pieces that can. When a jump lands where another jump is possible, keep tapping landing squares until the move is complete.
Controls — what does what
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse / touch |
|---|---|---|
| Move a piece | Tab / Enter | Click the piece, then a highlighted square |
| Multi-jump | — | Click each landing square in turn |
| Take back | — | Undo |
FREE This is the complete game, free. Written from scratch for ExeBrowser — original code, nothing to unlock, free to play.
Original code written for ExeBrowser — see NOTICE.md.
Rules
- Pieces move one square diagonally forward, on the dark squares only.
- Captures are compulsory: jump an adjacent enemy piece into the empty square behind it. If the landing square offers another jump, the same piece must continue.
- A piece that reaches the far row is crowned king (marked ♛) and may then move and jump backwards too. Being crowned ends the move.
- You lose when you have no legal move — usually because every piece is gone or blocked. Fifty moves each without a capture or a crowning is a draw.
The computer
Easy looks two moves ahead and plays loosely; Medium searches four; Hard searches seven and follows forced capture sequences to the end, so it won't walk into a trade it can't see. It values material, kings, advancement, the centre and keeping its back row home to stop you crowning.
Tips
Keep your back row intact for as long as you can — it's the cheapest defence against enemy kings. Trade pieces when you're ahead and avoid trades when behind. Because captures are forced, you can offer a piece to drag an opponent's man into a square where you get two back.
Frequently asked questions
Are captures forced?
Yes, as in American checkers. If any jump is available you must take one, and a piece that can keep jumping must do so.
Can kings fly across the board?
No — these are American/English rules, where a king moves one square at a time in any diagonal direction. Flying kings belong to international and Russian draughts.
Is my game saved?
Yes, an unfinished game is kept in this browser and resumes when you come back.
More you can play in your browser
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Want a game like this on your own site?
Checkers isn't ours to give away — we host it, we didn't write it. But eleven of the games here we did write from scratch, and those are free for anyone to put on their own page: one line of HTML, no account, no permission, no attribution beyond a credit line.