Checkers Board Game Information

Object

The object of checkers is to capture all of your opponent's pieces by jumping over them and taking them off the board. The game is played only on the darker colored squares, and checkers are set up in the first three rows on each side.

In alternating turns, a player moves one checker diagonally onto another dark and unoccupied square. The player may only move in diagonals toward the opponent's side of the board. If an opponent has a checker in an adjacent square and has an empty square on the other side, the player may jump that checker to capture it. If, when the checker lands on the other empty square, another opponent checker is adjacent with an empty square in the same position, the player may jump another checker and capture more than one on a single turn.

When a player reaches the back row on the opponent's end of the board, the checker is "kinged." This means the checker can move in any direction.

The first game thought to be similar to checkers was found during an archaeological dig in the Middle East. The board itself was carbon dated back to 3000 B.C., according to GamesInfoDepot.com.
A game called Alquerque that is similar to checkers was played in Egypt around 1400 B.C., and it was in the 14th century that a Frenchman is said to have converted the game to a chessboard and developed the modern day rules of checkers. The French called the game Fierges and called the pieces ferses, according to GamesInfoDepot.com.

Before World War II, the first computer program was developed for checkers, and today there are countless online versions of the game. Checkers adapts well to the screen and allows people to play against artificial intelligence or against players from around the world. One such free online site is Checkers.ws.

Checkers is a simple game, but there is a lot of strategy involved if you would like to become a good player. Three tips for checkers strategy that will assist in more wins include forced capture, defense of king's lane and moving behind your own.

Forced capture is making moves that will lead to the capture of one of your pieces, but will immediately set up a move that will allow you to capture two of your opponents'. Consciously protecting your back row (King's Lane) will also prevent the opponent from gaining an advantage. In addition, try to advance early in the game by moving behind your own pieces for protection.

There are many different ways to play checkers. Well-known variations of checkers include Chinese checkers, which is played with marbles on a star-shaped board, and Fox and Geese, in which one "fox" checker is placed in the center and 13 "geese" checkers are placed on one side of the board. The geese cannot jump, but instead try to surround the fox where he cannot move, and the fox tries to jump the geese to eliminate them.