Play Winter Checkers

Winter checkers in your browser

Winter checkers on Checkers Online is the full game on a cold-weather board. Ice-blue pieces carry a white snowflake, snow-white pieces carry a red mitten, and the board has slate-blue squares and a dark navy frame. Snowed in, or stuck inside on a long evening? The board above is ready. It's free, and you don't need an account.

The theme changes how the game looks and nothing else. Your rules, computer opponent, rating and saved game are the same ones the classic checkers board uses. Start a computer game here and you can finish it on the homepage later, or go the other way.

What the winter board looks like

• Snowflakes and mittens: every Blue piece shows a white snowflake, and every White piece shows a red mitten. The blue pieces have pale frosted rims. Blue plays the side the rules call Black, so Blue moves first, and the status line reads "Blue's turn" and "Blue wins".
• Crowned kings: a king still wears a crown, above a smaller copy of its snowflake or mitten.
• Slate-blue and frost-white squares: the pieces play on the slate-blue squares. The frost-white ones stay empty.
• A dark navy frame: plain, with no stripes.

Selected squares and hint marks show in bright ice blue. The header and footer turn deep navy, and the main buttons turn icy blue. Light snow falls down the page background, behind the board and the text, so it never lands on a piece. It stops if your device is set to reduce motion. You can play on this page any time of year, not only in winter.

Who to play on a snow day

• The computer: four levels, from beginner to hard, for a quiet evening on your own.
• A friend in the same room: press 2 Players and hand the phone or tablet over after each move.
• Family who live far away: press Create private game and send them the link or code. Want a stranger instead? Play Online pairs you with a player from the regular checkers queue. The play page has more ways to start a game.

Your opponent sees the board from their own page. Someone who joins from the homepage sees classic black and white pieces, while your screen keeps the snowflakes and mittens. There's no typed chat, only six preset emotes. Quick matches and lobby challenges are rated with Glicko-2, for guests as well. Private games are not. The ratings page explains how the numbers work.

The rules on the winter board

This is standard American checkers. Each side starts with 12 men on the dark squares, and Blue goes first. A man moves one square diagonally forward and captures forward only. If you can jump, you must, and the same piece keeps jumping that turn for as long as it can. With two different captures open, take either one. A man that reaches the far row is crowned, and its move ends there. Kings move and capture one square diagonally in any direction. You win by taking every enemy piece or leaving your opponent with no legal move. A game is drawn by threefold repetition, or after 40 moves by each side with no capture and no man move. Does your family play with optional jumps? Use checkers with no forced jump. Every rule is set out on the checkers rules page.

Play on a phone, tablet or laptop

There's nothing to install first. The game runs in the browser on phones, tablets, Chromebooks and computers. Tap a piece and then the square you want, or drag it there. Games against the computer and two-player games on one screen save on your device, so you can come back to them. Play one computer game while you're connected and those games work offline after that, which helps if a storm knocks the internet out. You can also install the site as an app.

More for long winter evenings

Try Chinese Checkers, or open the checkers variants guide to compare the other versions of draughts. There's a daily puzzle to solve, and the strategy lessons will help you get better. Want a board for the kitchen table? Print one of the free printable checkers boards.

More themed boards: Spring Checkers, Summer Checkers, Fall Checkers, Halloween Checkers, Christmas Checkers.

Frequently asked questions

Does my opponent see the winter board?

No. The board you see depends on the page you play from. An opponent who joined from the homepage gets the usual black and white pieces, even though your game has snowflakes and mittens.

Is winter checkers free to play?

Yes. There's no sign-up and nothing to download. Play the computer, a friend on the same device, or someone online as a guest.

Do the rules change on the winter board?

No. You play standard American checkers, so jumps are compulsory and kings move one square at a time. Blue sits where Black normally would, which is why Blue moves first.

Is there a separate winter rating?

No. This page uses the same save slot, rating and win stats as the homepage. Start a computer game here on a snowy afternoon and you can finish it there later.

Can I play with family who live far away?

Yes. Press Create private game and send them the link or code. They join from their own phone or computer.

Does the snow cover the board?

No. Light snow falls down the page background, behind the board and the text, so it never lands on a piece. It stops if your device is set to reduce motion.