Checkers Solver: Best Next Move Helper
Build any checkers position, in American checkers or 13 other draughts variants, choose who is to move, and the checkers engine works out the strongest next move it can find. Use it as a checkers helper when you are stuck in a game or want to check a move.
Tap a dark square to place the selected piece. Tap it again to clear it.
Black to move.
How to use the solver
- Pick the variant. American checkers is the default. Changing the variant loads its starting position on the right board.
- Pick a piece from the palette: black or white, man or king. The eraser clears a square.
- Tap the dark squares to build your position. Tapping a square that already holds that piece clears it. Each side takes at most as many pieces as it starts with, which is 12 in American checkers.
- Set the side to move. Black moves first in American checkers and Pool Checkers, and White moves first in the other 12 variants, so that is the default after a variant change.
- Press Find best move. The move is highlighted on the board and written out underneath. Press Play this move to make it and keep going.
Starting position loads the opening setup, and Clear board empties it so you can build an endgame from nothing. Copy link copies a link to the position on the board, so you can send it to someone or come back to it later.
What the solver does
The solver is a checkers engine that runs in your browser. It looks up to 12 half-moves ahead, which is six moves for each side, testing your side's options against the opponent's best replies and scoring the positions it reaches. It searches one depth at a time and stops after about four seconds, so it always answers with the deepest search that finished.
It plays by the rules of the variant you pick, and they match the engine that runs the games on this site. In American checkers that means capturing is compulsory whenever a capture is available, a jump that leads to another jump must carry on, men move and jump diagonally forward only, kings move and jump one square in any diagonal direction, and a man that reaches the far row is crowned. The full set is on the American checkers rules page.
Variants the solver covers
Every draughts variant on the site works, from 8×8 games to the 10×10 International board and the 12×12 Canadian board. Chinese Checkers is not included. It is a race game with no captures, and it runs on its own engine.
| Variant | Board | Pieces a side | Moves first | Kings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checkers (American) | 8×8 | 12 | Black | One square, diagonal |
| Pool Checkers | 8×8 | 12 | Black | Flying, diagonal |
| Spanish Checkers | 8×8 | 12 | White | Flying, diagonal |
| Czech Checkers | 8×8 | 12 | White | Flying, diagonal |
| Portuguese Checkers | 8×8 | 12 | White | Flying, diagonal |
| Russian Checkers | 8×8 | 12 | White | Flying, diagonal |
| Brazilian Draughts | 8×8 | 12 | White | Flying, diagonal |
| International Draughts | 10×10 | 20 | White | Flying, diagonal |
| Filipino Checkers | 8×8 | 12 | White | Flying, diagonal |
| Moroccan Checkers | 8×8 | 12 | White | Flying, diagonal |
| Italian Checkers | 8×8 | 12 | White | One square, diagonal |
| Turkish Checkers | 8×8, every square | 16 | White | Flying, along rows and columns |
| Arab Checkers | 8×8, every square | 16 | White | Flying, along rows and columns |
| Canadian Checkers | 12×12 | 30 | White | Flying, diagonal |
Why the answer is not a proven best move
The move you get is the best move the search found. American checkers was solved in 2007 by Jonathan Schaeffer's team at the University of Alberta with the program Chinook, and the proof shows that perfect play by both sides ends in a draw. The solver has no access to that proof, and in a complicated position a deeper search could disagree with a shallower one.
For actual play, start a game against the AI, work through the strategy lessons, or try the daily puzzle, where you get a winning position and have to convert it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Checkers Solver do?
You pick a variant, build a position on the board, and say who is to move. The checkers engine then searches for the strongest move it can find for that side. It reports one move, highlighted on the board and written out in coordinates, and you can play it to carry on down the line. It covers all 14 draughts variants on this site, on 8×8, 10×10 and 12×12 boards.
How many moves ahead does it look?
Up to 12 half-moves, which is six moves for each side. It searches one depth at a time and stops after about four seconds, keeping the deepest search that finished, so a quiet endgame reaches the full depth while a crowded middlegame gets a little less. Bigger boards have more moves to check, so 10×10 and 12×12 positions usually get a shallower search in the same time.
Does it use the solved-checkers database?
No. American checkers was solved in 2007, but this page does not look moves up in that proof. It runs a search: the same engine that plays the Hard AI on this site, given a deeper depth and more time. Its answer is the best move it found, not a proven best move.
Which rules does it follow?
The rules of the variant you pick, exactly as the games on this site play them. American checkers is the default: an 8×8 board with 12 pieces a side, Black moves first, capturing is compulsory whenever a capture is on offer, a jump that leads to another jump must carry on, men move and jump diagonally forward only, kings move and jump one square in any diagonal direction, and a man that reaches the far row is crowned. Each variant's full rules are on its rules page, linked from the table on this page.
Why does it keep suggesting a capture?
Because capturing is compulsory in every variant the solver covers. If the side to move can take a piece, taking is the only legal option, so every move the solver can offer is a capture. In American checkers, Pool Checkers and Russian Checkers you may pick any of the captures on offer, and the solver picks the one its search rates highest. Most of the other variants make you take the most pieces, some add tie-breaks on top, and Czech Checkers makes a king capture come first, so there the choice can be smaller or forced.
Can I share a position?
Yes. The address bar updates as you edit, and Copy link puts the same link on your clipboard. Opening it loads the variant, the position and the side to move.