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How to Play Checkers Rules – Simply Explained

Get the rules to checkers with our how-to-play checkers guide. We provide step-by-step simple explanations of the rules for checkers.

Players: 2 to 2 | Game duration from: 30 mins | Game Complexity: EASY How to play Checkers rules in simple steps Checkers rules pdf / rulebook | Play Checkers Online Link 1 [amazon box=”B07KQK6MWS”]

Checkers Rules FAQs

What are the basic rules of Checkers?

Checkers is a 2 player game where each player has a set of 12 checkers on their side of the gameboard. Players compete to capture all their opponent’s checkers.

Can you jump 2 pieces in Checkers?

You can only jump over a Checker piece one square at a time unless you capturing an opposing player’s pieces. When capturing, you can jump 2 or more pieces in succession.

What are the rules if you can’t move in Checkers?

If you can’t move, your turn ends and passes to the next player.

Step by Step Checkers Rules

This section outlines the rules to Checkers. To set up a checkers game, each player chooses a colour and takes 12 checkers of that colour, and puts it on the all the dark squares in the first 3 rows of their side of the gameboard.

Black Moves first. On your turn, move any one of your checkers. Your turn ends after you move one checker. The game continues with players alternating turns.

Moving your checker (non-King) piece

All pieces start off having non-King status and have the following movement rules.
You can only move your pieces on black squares. They can only be moved diagonally and toward your opponent’s side of the gameboard. Unless you are marking a JUMP, you can only move one square and it has to be unoccupied.

Jump and capture an opponent’s checker piece

You make a jump by diagonally leaping over one of your opponent’s pieces and landing on the empty space on the other side. Multiple jumps are allowed on a single turn. When a piece is jumped, it is removed from the board and captured.
You must jump if you can. If you have more than one piece that can jump, decide which one to move on your turn.

Becoming King

When one of your checkers reaches the first row of your opponent’s side of the
gameboard, it becomes a King. Place another checker of the same color on top of it.

King’s movement

A checker with King Status (double-decker checker) can move forward or backward diagonally across any number of open spaces on the gameboard. Kings may combine jumps in several directions–forward and backward–on the same turn.