Play Checkers Online Like Internet Checkers
Press Play Online to be matched with a real player, the way the old Windows game did it
- Multiplayer
- No sign-up
- 100% free
How do you play checkers online like Internet Checkers?
Press Play Online on the board above. The site puts you in a queue and pairs you with the next player looking for a game, the same idea as the old Internet Checkers in Windows. You don't need an account or a download.
Want to see who's around before you start? The online lobby lists everyone on the site right now. You can join someone who's already waiting or challenge any player who's free. To play someone you know, choose Create private game and send them the link or code.
Nobody waiting? Play the computer while you wait. It has four levels: beginner, easy, medium and hard.
What was Internet Checkers?
Internet Checkers was a free checkers game that came with Windows Me, Windows XP and Windows 7. It sat in the Games folder, but unlike the games there that you played against the computer, it went online. You clicked it, agreed to connect, and a Microsoft server found you an opponent. The welcome screen in Windows XP put it plainly: the game "matches you with players from around the world."
You never picked who you played. You also never learned their name, because the game didn't use names. It gave each computer a random ID instead. Every move went through Microsoft's server, which checked it and passed it on to the other player.
Preset chat
You couldn't type to your opponent. Windows XP gave you a list of 30 ready-made messages to send, and you could turn chat off.
Skill levels
Microsoft brought the internet games back in Windows 7. Its Windows blog said in 2009 that the games had been well liked in Windows XP and that people had asked for them. The Windows 7 version let you pick from 3 skill levels so you'd meet players of a similar strength. If your opponent dropped out, a computer player took over and finished the game.
Where MSN Gaming Zone fits in
Microsoft also ran a game website. It launched as the Internet Gaming Zone in 1996 and was later renamed MSN Gaming Zone, then MSN Games by Zone.com, and people still search for its checkers as MSN checkers. Microsoft's own notes for Windows XP describe the built-in checkers as a reduced version of the Zone.com games. The Windows version had no free chat, no custom names, no tournaments, no contact lists and no ratings.
When did Internet Checkers shut down?
In July 2019 Microsoft announced it was ending the internet games for old versions of Windows. The service for Windows Me and XP ended on July 31, 2019. Windows 7 kept Internet Checkers, Backgammon and Spades until January 22, 2020. After that the game had no way to find an opponent, so it stopped working.
How does Internet Checkers compare with playing here?
The main idea is the same: you open the game and get matched with a stranger. The table shows what's changed.
| Feature | Internet Checkers (Windows) | Checkers Online |
|---|---|---|
| Who you play | A real person the server picked for you, from anywhere in the world | A real person: press Play Online to be matched, or pick someone in the lobby |
| Matching by skill | You chose one of 3 skill levels (Windows 7) | By rating. The range widens while you wait, and after about 30 seconds you get anyone available |
| Chat | 30 preset messages, no free typing | 6 preset emotes, no free typing |
| Play a friend | No. You could not pick your opponent | Yes. Send a private game link or code, or challenge someone in the lobby |
| Play the computer | No. The online games were for human opponents | Yes, at four levels: beginner, easy, medium and hard |
| If a player stops moving | A computer opponent took over to finish the game (Windows 7) | Each move has a 60-second clock. The server moves for them up to 3 times, and the fourth time they lose on time |
| Ratings and scores | None in the Windows XP version | A rating for each draughts variant from matched games, plus a leaderboard for signed-in players |
| Games | Checkers (alongside separate Backgammon, Hearts, Reversi and Spades games) | 14 checkers and draughts variants, plus Chinese Checkers |
| Where it runs | Windows Me, XP and 7 only | Any modern browser, on a phone, tablet or computer |
| Still online? | No. Servers shut in 2019 (Me, XP) and 2020 (Windows 7) | Yes |
Games you get from Play Online are rated, guests included. Private games and games against the computer are not. The ratings page explains how matching and ratings work, and the leaderboard shows the top players.
The board above plays American checkers, also called English draughts. Men move forward one square at a time, taking is compulsory, and a man that reaches the far row becomes a king. The full rules are on the checkers rules page. Other versions, such as International Draughts, are in the guide to checkers variants.
Checkers Online is an independent site. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Microsoft. Internet Checkers, Windows and MSN are Microsoft names, used here only to describe the old game.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Internet Checkers?
Internet Checkers was a free checkers game included with Windows Me, Windows XP and Windows 7. You opened it from the Games folder, and it connected to Microsoft's game servers and matched you with another player somewhere in the world.
Can you still play Internet Checkers?
No. Microsoft ended the service for Windows Me and XP on July 31, 2019, and for Windows 7 on January 22, 2020. The game cannot find an opponent without those servers. You can play checkers against real people in your browser on this page instead.
How did Internet Checkers find you an opponent?
The game sent your move to a Microsoft server, which passed it to your opponent. You could not choose who you played. In Windows 7 you picked one of 3 skill levels and the server matched you with a player at a similar level.
What was MSN Gaming Zone?
MSN Gaming Zone was Microsoft's game website. It launched as the Internet Gaming Zone in 1996 and was later called MSN Games by Zone.com. The checkers built into Windows XP was a reduced version of the games on that site, with no free chat, custom names or ratings.
Is this the Microsoft game?
No. Checkers Online is an independent site. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Microsoft. It plays the same kind of game: checkers against a real person online.
Do I need an account or a download?
No. The game runs in your browser. Press Play Online to be matched with another player as a guest. An account is optional and lets your name and rating appear on the leaderboard.