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  • Lesson 8 of 8
  • The endgame
  • 3 min

Trade When You're Ahead in Checkers

Being a man up doesn't win a game by itself. While the board is full, your opponent has plenty of ways to fight back. The cure is simple: when you're ahead, trade pieces one for one.

Step 1 of 4

  1. Three against two

    Watch. Black is a man up, three against two. Black plays e3 to f4. White's man on g5 must jump it, and lands on e3, where f2 jumps it straight back. Three against two has become two against one.

  2. Why trade?

    Black gave one man and took one, and is still a man up. Why is two against one better for Black than three against two?

    Question

  3. Offer a trade

    Later in a game, you have five men to White's four. Find the even trade.

    Your move

    Trade one man for one.

  4. Trade kings, too

    Three kings against two is hard to win while White's kings sit in the double corners, b8 and h2 here. Trade one pair, and you have two kings against one, a win you already know.

    Your move

    Force a trade of kings.

What you learned

  • When you're a man up, trade pieces one for one.
  • Fewer pieces leave your opponent fewer ways to defend.
  • Three kings against two: force a trade, and two kings beat one.

In this course

Unit 1The rules

  1. Checkers Rules: Move, Jump and Crown a King

Unit 2Tactics

  1. The Two-for-One Shot in Checkers
  2. Forced Captures in Checkers: Use Them as a Weapon
  3. Guard Your Back Row in Checkers: The Bridge
  4. How to Get a King in Checkers: Break Through

Unit 3The endgame

  1. How to Trap a King in Checkers
  2. The Double Corner in Checkers: Two Kings vs One
  3. Trade When You're Ahead in Checkers

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