How Do You Play Checkers? Setup, Rules & Winning Strategies

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Board game expert Ashton Wu shares rules & strategies for playing checkers

Co-authored by Elaine Heredia, BA Reviewed by Ashton Wu

Last Updated: February 19, 2026 Fact Checked

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Setup

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Rules & Gameplay

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Winning Strategies

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Printable Rule and Strategy Sheets

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Video

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Q&A

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Checkers is a fun and easy game that dates back to the 12th century. To win a game of checkers, you must "jump" your checkers over all your opponent's pieces or block their pieces so they can no longer make a move. Keep reading to learn how to set up a game of checkers, the rules and gameplay, and winning strategies, with insights from board game expert Ashton Wu.

Playing Checkers at a Glance

Board game expert Ashton Wu says to pick the color you want to play: black or red. The player using black checkers goes first by moving a piece diagonally to the nearest empty dark square. If your opponent's checker is in the square, and there's an empty space on the other side, jump your piece over it to capture it.

Section 1 of 3:

Checkers Setup

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Pick someone to go first and give them the black checkers. Before you set up the board, choose which player will go first based on who won the last game, a coin toss, or any other method you agree on. The person who goes first will use the black checkers, and the other player will use the white checkers.
- If your version of checkers doesn't come with black pieces, give the color to whoever goes first. For example, the player who goes first uses the red checkers and the second player uses the white checkers.
- Alternatively, Wu says you and your opponent can simply decide which color checkers you want to play as.^{[1]
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Meet the wikiHow Expert

Ashton Wu is a board game expert expert at Shelfside. His YouTube channel, Shelfside, has over 45K subscribers and over 4 million views.
Sit across from your opponent and place the board between you with a side facing you, says Wu.^{[2]
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Ashton Wu
Board Game Expert

Expert Interview} The board is made up of 8 rows of 8 alternating dark and light squares. There are 32 light squares and 32 dark squares. Place the board so that each player has a light-colored square on the corner of the board to their right.

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Place the checkers crown-side down on the dark squares only. “Place your pieces on the darker squares of the first 3 rows closest to you, with the middle 2 rows remaining empty,” says Wu. “Each player will place 12 pieces,” he explains.^{[3]
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Ashton Wu
Board Game Expert

Expert Interview} So, each of these 3 rows should have a total of 4 checkers.^{[4]
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- It doesn't matter whether you play on the light or the dark squares. All that matters is that you and your opponent both use the same color on either end of the board.
- When you're done setting up, 6 of the 8 rows will be filled with checkers, and 2 rows will be left open in the middle of the board.

Section 2 of 3:

Checkers Rules & Gameplay

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Move a checker diagonally across the board to start the game. You can only move one checker one diagonal space forward (toward your opponent’s checkers) during a regular turn. Checkers must stay on whichever color of squares you and your opponent agreed to play on (i.e., dark or light). Once the player with black checkers makes their first move, the player with white checkers moves, and then you’ll continue taking turns.^{[5]
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- Unless your checker has been kinged, you can only move it forward, not backward.
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Jump your opponent's checkers to remove them from the board. If your checker is in the diagonal space nearest one of your opponent's checkers, you can "jump" over and capture that checker. To capture a checker, move your checker to the second diagonal space in the direction of the checker you’re attacking, like you're "jumping" over your opponent's piece. Keep in mind, however, that if a checker is on the edge of the board with no empty space diagonally adjacent to it, it can't be jumped.^{[6]
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- The space on the other side of your opponent’s checker has to be empty so you can move into it.
- If you have the opportunity to jump your opponent's checker, then you must jump it.
- If you have the opportunity to jump your opponent's checker in multiple parts of the board, then you can choose which checkers you'd like to jump.
- If the new square you land in puts you in a position to capture another checker, "jump" again to the next diagonal space on the other side of the second checker. Continue "jumping" until you can't capture any more of your opponent's checkers.
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King your checker when you move it to the first row on your opponent's side. If you can maneuver one of your checkers to an empty space in the first row on the opposite side of the board from where you started, you can crown the checker and gain an advantage! To crown a checker and make it a king checker, simply place one of your own captured pieces on top of it. (If you haven't captured any enemy checkers yet, just turn your checker over to the "king" side.) The king can move forward and backward diagonally on the board, so it's easier for king checkers to capture your opponent's checkers.^{[7]
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- Kings can still only move one diagonal space at a time during a non-capture move. However, when a king is capturing checkers, it can move forward and backward on the same turn.
- The only way to remove your opponent's king from the board is to capture it with your own king. You can't capture it with a regular checker that hasn't been crowned.
- There is no limit to how many crowned pieces you can have.
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Capture all your opponent's checkers to win the game. Continue "jumping" over and capturing your opponent's checkers until they're all removed from the board. Once you've captured all of your opponent’s checkers, you've won at checkers!
- A less common way to win is when you block all your opponent's checkers with your own, so your opponent can't make any more moves.

Section 3 of 3:

Checkers Winning Strategies

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A beginner may be tempted to keep their pieces at the edges of the board and to try to avoid the opponent's checkers as much as possible. But you'll never win this way! Work on capturing your opponent’s checkers rather than going out of your way to defend your own. It’s okay if some of your pieces get captured as long as you capture more of your opponent’s pieces.
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Move your pieces in tandem. If you move a stray checker a few squares forward without moving the rest of your checkers, that piece will be vulnerable to capture. So, Wu suggests that you “[don’t] move pieces by themselves into enemy territory without backup behind them.” He says, “Don't worry about having slightly [fewer] pieces if you can set up a really big turn to capture multiple pieces at once.”^{[8]
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Ashton Wu
Board Game Expert

Expert Interview} The center of the board is a good place to position a group of checkers protecting each other as they move forward. Just try not to move all your checkers towards the center because it will be hard to move them.^{[9]
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- If you move your checkers into a group on your turns, it will be harder for your opponent to capture your checkers. But if your opponent manages to capture one of your checkers, you'll have a piece waiting to capture their checker, as well!
- Once you’ve created a blockade, Wu suggests that you “get pieces to the end ASAP to unlock the king so it can move backwards.” Just don't completely compromise your board state to do so.^{[10]
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If your opponent successfully moves a piece to your back row, then it will be crowned and more difficult to capture. Keeping a full back row is the best way to prevent your opponent from crowning their pieces. It will also make it easier for you to capture any opposing pieces that approach your back row.
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Know when to sacrifice your pieces. If you're ahead in the game or dead even with your opponent, don't be afraid to sacrifice a piece to capture your opponent's piece back or gain a positional advantage. Keep the forward momentum going!^{[11]
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- Do what you can to avoid having your king captured. The king is much more valuable than a regular checker.
- Avoid trading pieces if it will make it easier for your opponent to king a piece.
- Trade one for two. Give up one of your pieces if it means you can capture two of your opponent's pieces in return.
Work to keep their active pieces blocked if you can, so they will be forced to play with pieces from their back row. If all your opponent's pieces are blocked and can't move, then they will lose. You can also work on capturing more of your opponent’s pieces or crowning your own.
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Keep practicing. Though there's no foolproof way to win at checkers every single time. The more you play, the more you'll understand how to strategize. If you want to be a checkers expert, try to play as much as you can to improve your game.^{[12]
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- Try playing with someone above your skill level. This will challenge you and will force you to pick up your game.
You'll pick up a lot of pointers just by watching or reading about checkers experts maneuvering their pieces around the board. To start, check out @CheckersTV on YouTube or read a strategy book like Win at Checkers by Millard Hopper.

Printable Rule and Strategy Sheets

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Question

Can the king jump forward and then continue jumping in a diagonal?

Community Answer

Yes.

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Question

How do I capture the king?

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The same way you capture any other checker. It's just more tricky since the king has more flexibility to move around, and you have to be careful so it doesn't capture you first. Think carefully about your moves.

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Can a kinged checker move more than one square to the side?

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Traditionally, no. The kings can still move only 1 space, but the difference between kings and regular checkers is that kings can move in any direction.

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