How to Play English Draughts

English draughts, also known as British draughts or simply draughts, is played on an 8×8 board. In the United States the same game goes by checkers, or American checkers. The rules are identical, so a draughts player and a checkers player can sit down at the same board.

Each side has 12 pieces, placed on the dark squares of the three rows nearest them. Black moves first, and play only ever uses the dark squares.

Rules at a glance

Men move one square diagonally forward, and capture forwards only
Taking is compulsory: if you can jump an opposing piece, you must. When more than one capture is available, you choose which to make
After a jump, the same piece keeps jumping for as long as it can
A man that reaches the far row is crowned a king. If that happens in the middle of a capture, the turn ends there
Kings move and capture one square at a time, forwards or backwards

How a game ends

You win by taking all of your opponent's pieces, or by leaving them with no legal move. The game is a draw if the same position comes up three times, or if 40 moves pass on each side without a capture or a man being moved. The full rules, with diagrams and how to set up the board, are on the American checkers rules page, which covers the same game.

Play the computer or a friend

The computer plays at four levels: beginner, easy, medium and hard. For a human opponent, press Play Online to be matched with another player, create a private game and send the link or code to a friend, or play two players on one device. You do not need an account. Online games here use the same queue and ratings as our checkers page, so draughts and checkers players meet on one ladder.

Draughts or International Draughts?

International Draughts is a different game. It uses a 10×10 board with 20 pieces each, men can capture backwards, kings can move any distance along a diagonal, and you must take the line that captures the most pieces. If that is the game you are after, play International Draughts instead.

A solved game

English draughts has been solved. In 2007 Jonathan Schaeffer's team at the University of Alberta proved that if neither side makes a mistake, the game ends in a draw. Tournament play is run by bodies including the English Draughts Association and the American Checker Federation.

To get better, read the strategy guide, try the daily puzzle, or find the best move in any position with the checkers solver. Other versions of the game are compared in the guide to checkers variants.