Captures are mandatory. If you can jump, you must — and chains of jumps must be completed in one turn.
Checkers (also called draughts) is the classic diagonal-capture race on an 8×8 board. You and the computer each start with twelve pieces; the goal is to capture all of your opponent's pieces — or leave them with no legal move. This free browser version offers three difficulty levels and a choice between forced and optional captures. No downloads, no signup.
The Mandatory / Optional setting controls forced captures: with Mandatory on (the tournament rule), if a capture is available you must take it; with Optional you're free to play a quiet move instead.
How do I play Checkers? Move your pieces one square diagonally forward, and capture by jumping over an adjacent enemy piece into the empty square beyond. Chain jumps when you can, crown kings on the far row, and capture all the enemy pieces to win.
Can you jump backwards in Checkers? Only kings can. A regular piece captures forward only — once it's crowned a king it can jump both directions.
Are captures forced? Your choice: turn on Mandatory for the tournament forced-capture rule, or Optional to play freely.
Is Checkers free? Yes — no signup, no downloads, no installs.