Checkers Board: Squares, Layout and Setup
A checkers board is a square grid of 64 squares, 8 rows by 8 columns, coloured light and dark in turn. Checkers is played on the 32 dark squares only. Each player sits with a dark square in their near-left corner.
| Squares | 64 (8×8) |
|---|---|
| Squares used | 32, the dark ones |
| Pieces at the start | 12 men each, 24 in total |
| Near-left corner | Dark square |
| Tournament board | Green and buff, squares 2 to 2.5 inches |
How many squares are on a checkers board?
A checkers board has 64 squares: 8 rows of 8, half dark and half light. The game only uses the 32 dark squares. Men move and capture along the diagonals, so they never land on a light square, and the 32 light squares stay empty from the first move to the last.
Players record games by number, not by letter and row. The 32 dark squares are numbered 1 to 32, starting in Black's double corner and running four to a row. A move from 11 to 15 means a man stepped from square 11 to square 15.
The puzzle answer: 204
"How many squares on a checkerboard?" is also a puzzle, and its answer is not 64. Blocks of squares make bigger squares too. Count every square of every size and you get 204:
| Square size | How many |
|---|---|
| 1×1 | 64 |
| 2×2 | 49 |
| 3×3 | 36 |
| 4×4 | 25 |
| 5×5 | 16 |
| 6×6 | 9 |
| 7×7 | 4 |
| 8×8 | 1 |
| Total | 204 |
There are 64 small squares, 49 squares made of 2×2 blocks, and so on, down to the one 8×8 square that is the whole board.
Which way does a checkers board go?
Place the board so each player has a dark square in their near-left corner. The near-right corner square is then light. On our diagrams that dark corner is a1.
This matters because of the corners. At the near-right of each player, two dark squares sit side by side against the edge (g1 and h2 for White). That pair is the double corner, the hardest place to trap a king. The near-left corner, a1, is a single corner with only one way out. Turn the board the wrong way and the double corners end up on the left.
A few games are set up the other way on purpose. In Spanish Checkers, Portuguese Checkers, Filipino Checkers, Moroccan Checkers and Italian Checkers, the board is mirrored, so the near-left corner square is light and the double corner is on each player's left.
What colours is a checkers board?
A checkers board can be any two colours that are easy to tell apart. The common ones are:
| Where | Board | Pieces |
|---|---|---|
| Official tournaments | Green and buff | Red and white, still called "Black" and "White" |
| Sets sold in shops | Often black and red | Black and red are common in the United States |
| Printed diagrams | Black and white | Black and white |
| This site | Walnut and tan | Black and white |
Whatever the colours, the side that holds the darker pieces is Black, and Black moves first.
How do you set up a checkers board?
To set up a checkers board, turn it so each player has a dark square in their near-left corner. Each player then puts 12 men on the dark squares of the three rows nearest them, and the two middle rows stay empty. The rules page lists the starting square of every man.
Check your setup
Set up the board below the way you would at a table. Pick a colour, then click or tap squares to place men. Click a man again to take it off. The checker tells you when you have the starting position and, until then, what is wrong.
The board is empty. Choose a colour and click squares to place men.
Is a chess board the same as a checkers board?
Yes. A chess board and a checkers board are the same 8×8 board of 64 squares, so you can play either game on either one. The two games just use it differently.
| Checkers | Chess | |
|---|---|---|
| Board | 8×8, 64 squares | 8×8, 64 squares |
| Squares used | 32 dark squares | All 64 |
| Orientation | Dark square in the near-left corner | Light square in the near-right corner (the same way round) |
| Pieces per side | 12 identical men | 16 pieces of six types |
| Moves first | Black | White |
The rest of the differences, from forced captures to how each game ends, are in checkers vs chess.
What size board do other checkers games use?
Most of the games on this site use the 8×8 board, but not all. International draughts is played on 10×10, the standard board in the Netherlands, and Canadian checkers on 12×12. Every game on this site, straight from its rules:
| Game | Board | Squares | Squares used | Men each | Near-left corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checkers (American) | 8×8 | 64 | 32 dark | 12 | Dark |
| Pool Checkers | 8×8 | 64 | 32 dark | 12 | Dark |
| Spanish Checkers | 8×8 | 64 | 32 dark | 12 | Light (mirrored) |
| Czech Checkers | 8×8 | 64 | 32 dark | 12 | Dark |
| Portuguese Checkers | 8×8 | 64 | 32 dark | 12 | Light (mirrored) |
| Russian Checkers | 8×8 | 64 | 32 dark | 12 | Dark |
| Brazilian Draughts | 8×8 | 64 | 32 dark | 12 | Dark |
| International Draughts | 10×10 | 100 | 50 dark | 20 | Dark |
| Filipino Checkers | 8×8 | 64 | 32 dark | 12 | Light (mirrored) |
| Moroccan Checkers | 8×8 | 64 | 32 dark | 12 | Light (mirrored) |
| Italian Checkers | 8×8 | 64 | 32 dark | 12 | Light (mirrored) |
| Turkish Checkers | 8×8 | 64 | All 64 | 16 | Uncheckered |
| Arab Checkers | 8×8 | 64 | All 64 | 16 | Uncheckered |
| Canadian Checkers | 12×12 | 144 | 72 dark | 30 | Dark |
Turkish Checkers and Arab Checkers use every square, and the men move straight rather than diagonally, so their board has no checkered pattern at all. The checkers variants guide compares the rules of every game.
What is a dama board?
Dama is the name for draughts in several countries, including Italy and Turkey, and a dama board depends on which dama you mean. Italian dama uses an ordinary 8×8 checkered board, turned the mirrored way. Turkish dama is played on all 64 squares of an uncheckered 8×8 board, with 16 men each. A chess board works for both.
How big is a checkers board?
Official tournament boards, used by the American Checker Federation and other governing bodies, have squares 2 to 2.5 inches wide. The standard American Checker Federation set has 2-inch (51 mm) squares and pieces 1.25 inches (32 mm) across.
Our printable checkers board fits on a single sheet of US Letter or A4 paper, with 0.9 in (2.29 cm) squares, and comes with cut-out pieces to match.
Frequently asked questions
How many squares are on a checkers board?
A checkers board has 64 squares in 8 rows of 8. Only the 32 dark squares are used. If you also count the larger squares made from blocks of 2×2, 3×3 and so on up to the whole board, there are 204.
Which way does a checkers board go?
Turn the board so each player has a dark square in their near-left corner. The square in the near-right corner is then light.
Can you play checkers on a chess board?
Yes. A chess board and a checkers board are both 8×8 grids of alternating light and dark squares, set up the same way round, so either board works for either game.
What colours is a checkers board?
Any two contrasting colours work. Official tournament boards are green and buff, and boards sold in shops are often black and red. On this site the board is walnut and tan.
How big are the squares on a checkers board?
Official tournament boards have squares 2 to 2.5 inches wide. The standard American Checker Federation set has 2-inch (51 mm) squares.
How many pieces go on a checkers board?
Each player starts with 12 men, so 24 pieces go on the board at the start, all on dark squares. Rows 4 and 5 start empty.
What is a dama board?
Dama is the name for draughts in several countries. Italian dama uses the usual 8×8 checkered board. Turkish dama is played on all 64 squares, so the board does not need to be checkered.
Ready to use the board? Play against the computer at four levels, or play a friend online or on one device.
Play checkers online free