Medium Included

How to Play English draughts

The checkers most players grew up with — 8×8, twelve a side.

👥 2 players · Checkers · American checkers · Straight checkers

English draughts — checkers in America — is played on the same eight-by-eight board as chess, on the dark squares only, with twelve men a side. Every man moves and captures diagonally forward until it is crowned. Taking is compulsory, which is what makes the game sharper than it looks.

Ways to play English draughts

Against the computer

Pick your side and a level — Easy, Medium or Hard — and play English draughts offline. The game is kept in your browser, exactly where you left it.

Online, on a clock

Create a board, choose your color, set a clock from one minute to sixty — or none at all — and share the code. Only the side to move has their clock running.

In 2D or 3D

Lay the board flat or stand it up. Every piece rises onto its square, and you can flip between them mid-game.

Seven boards, seven sets

Classic felt, Renaissance marble, Stone Age sandstone, Ice Age glacier, Jurassic amber, a Crustacean tide pool and a medieval chamber — changed while you play.

🎯 Objective

Take all of your opponent’s pieces, or leave them with no legal move. Either one wins the game.

🎲 English draughts setup

The board is eight by eight, and only the dark squares are ever used.
Each side sets twelve men on the dark squares of the three rows nearest them.
The two middle rows start empty.
Black moves first.

▶ How to play English draughts

A man moves one square diagonally forward, onto an empty dark square.
A man captures by jumping diagonally forward over an enemy piece to the empty square directly beyond it.
Capturing is compulsory: if a jump is available you must take it, and a move that ignores it is not legal.
A jump continues for as long as the same piece can keep jumping — the whole chain is one move.
Where two or more captures are available, you may take whichever you like; there is no rule about taking the most.
A man that lands on the far row is crowned a king, and the move ends there even if another jump were available.
A king moves and captures one square diagonally in any direction, forwards or back.

🎬 Watch: How to Play English draughts

Filmed under the name Checkers, as English draughts is called in North America.

This video is embedded from YouTube and remains the intellectual property of its respective creator and/or rights holder. Vanikar LLC claims no ownership of, or rights in, the video content, and no affiliation with or endorsement by its creator is implied. The video is displayed via YouTube’s public embed feature in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service and the agreements between YouTube and the content uploader.

📖 Detailed guide

Why compulsory capture changes everything

You do not choose whether to take — only which take, when there is more than one.
That makes a sacrifice a tool: offer a man, and your opponent must accept, arriving on the square you wanted them on.
A two-for-one is the commonest pattern in the game. Give a man, force the jump, and jump back over two.
Before offering anything, follow the chain to its end — the jump they are forced into may keep going.

Crowning, and the endgame

A man crowned on the far row stops there for that move. The new king plays from the next turn.
A king that moves backwards can defend and attack at once, and one king is usually worth two men.
The result of a king ending depends on the position. Use coordinated kings to restrict the opponent, and look for defensive resources near the double corner.
The double corner — the pair of dark squares at the right-hand end of your back row — is the safest place for a lone king to run to.

In the app

English draughts plays in your browser at play.vanikar.games — offline against the computer at three levels, and online against another player on a clock.
It is covered by the same subscription as the card games and chess, with nothing extra to buy.
Tap a piece to see where it can land — a whole chain of jumps shows its final square — then tap that square.

🏁 How English draughts is won

The game is won by taking every enemy piece or by leaving your opponent without a legal move. It is drawn when the same position occurs three times, or after forty moves by each side with no capture and no man moved forward.

❓ English draughts — frequently asked questions

How many players do you need for English draughts?

English draughts is played by 2. Seats you do not fill are taken by the computer, so a game always starts.

Where can I play English draughts?

In your browser at play.vanikar.games, on a computer, a tablet or a phone. Sign in with the same Vanikar™ account you use for the card games.

Is English draughts included in my subscription?

Yes. One Card Games by Vanikar™ subscription covers the card games, Chess & Checkers and the board games, and every game released after them.

Does English draughts have ads?

No. No Vanikar™ game has ever carried advertising, and none ever will.

What is the difference between draughts and checkers?

None — they are the same game under two names. English draughts is the British name, checkers the American one, and the rules here are the standard 8×8 game with twelve men a side.

Do I have to take a piece if I can?

Yes. Capturing is compulsory in English draughts. If more than one capture is available you may choose between them, but you may not decline to capture altogether.

Can a man capture backwards?

No — only a king can. A man moves and captures diagonally forward until it reaches the far row and is crowned. In international draughts on the 10×10 board, a man may capture backwards; that is one of the main differences between the two games.

Can I play English draughts online?

Yes. Create a board, set a clock or none, and share the code or an invite link. Offline, pick your side and the engine’s level; the game is kept in your browser between visits.

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