Learn Checkers: Free Interactive Checkers Lessons
Every lesson here is played on the same board you play matches on. You read a few lines, make the move, and the board tells you whether it worked. Playboard plays English and American checkers: men move and capture forwards only, and kings move one square at a time. New to the game? Start with the rules. If you already play, go straight to the tactics.
- 8 lessons
- 23 min
- Free, no sign-up
Unit 1
The rules
How the pieces move, compulsory jumps, double jumps and kings, in six steps on a real board.
Unit 2
Tactics
Four ideas that win games: the two-for-one shot, forcing your opponent's jumps, the bridge that guards your back row, and the breakthrough that gets you a king.
The Two-for-One Shot in Checkers
Give one man so that your opponent's forced jump lines up two pieces for you to take. Learn the two-for-one shot on a live checkers board.Forced Captures in Checkers: Use Them as a Weapon
Jumping is compulsory in checkers, so a man you offer decides your opponent's move. Use forced captures to stop a runaway man and to trade on your terms.Guard Your Back Row in Checkers: The Bridge
With men on c1 and g1, a lone enemy man can't get through to crown. Learn the bridge, the classic back-row defence, on a live checkers board.How to Get a King in Checkers: Break Through
Your man is stuck behind White's back row. Give a man to pull a guard away, or trade one, and walk into the empty square to crown. Learn it on a live board.
Unit 3
The endgame
When the board empties, kings decide the game. Learn to trap a lone king with two of yours, even when it hides in the double corner, and to turn an extra man into a win by trading.
How to Trap a King in Checkers
Two kings against one: cover every square the lone king can step to, and make it move. Learn the guard and the waiting move on a live checkers board.The Double Corner in Checkers: Two Kings vs One
A lone king runs to the double corner, where it can shuttle between two safe squares. Learn how two kings force it out and catch it in checkers.Trade When You're Ahead in Checkers
A man up in checkers? Offer even trades. With fewer pieces left, your extra man counts for more, and two kings beat one. Learn to force trades on a live board.