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Checkers, known as Draughts in British English, is a classic two-player board game played on an 8x8 board using only the dark squares. Each player starts with 12 pieces (men) of their own color. Players move their pieces diagonally forward, capturing opponent pieces by jumping over them. When a piece reaches the far end of the board, it is promoted to a king, which can move and capture diagonally in both directions. The player who captures all of the opponent's pieces or blocks them so they cannot move wins the game.

Rules (International/American Checkers)

1. The game is played on the dark squares of an 8x8 board.
2. Each player starts with 12 pieces placed on the dark squares of their three nearest rows.
3. Regular pieces (men) move one square diagonally forward to an empty square.
4. Captures are mandatory: if a piece can jump over an adjacent opponent's piece to an empty square beyond, it must do so. The jumped piece is removed.
5. Multiple jumps are allowed in a single turn if each successive jump is legal.
6. When a piece reaches the opponent's back row, it becomes a king (usually indicated by stacking a second piece on top).
7. Kings can move and capture one square diagonally in any direction (forward or backward).
8. A player wins by capturing all opponent pieces or by leaving the opponent with no legal moves.
9. If neither player can win, the game is a draw.

Strategies

• Control the Center: Pieces in the center of the board have more mobility and can respond to threats on either side. Edge pieces are safer but less flexible.
• King Early: Getting a piece promoted to king provides a significant advantage. Push pieces toward the opponent's back row, especially when you can do so safely.
• Protect Your Back Row: Keeping pieces on your back row prevents the opponent from easily getting kings. Don't advance all your pieces forward recklessly.
• Trading When Ahead: If you have more pieces, trading captures (losing one piece to take one) is generally advantageous because a one-piece advantage becomes proportionally larger.
• Forced Captures: Since captures are mandatory, you can set up sacrifices that force your opponent into unfavorable captures, often leading to double or triple jumps for you.
• Formation and Structure: Keep your pieces connected and supporting each other. Isolated pieces are vulnerable. A "pyramid" formation (pieces protecting each other diagonally) is strong defensively.

Checkers is one of the oldest known board games. The earliest form of draughts was discovered in the ancient city of Ur in modern-day Iraq, dating to approximately 3000 BCE. A similar game called Alquerque was played throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean for centuries, using a 5x5 board with diagonal lines.

The modern form of Checkers emerged in the 12th century in southern France, when someone had the idea of playing Alquerque on a chess board. This new version, called "Fierges" and later "Jeu de Dames," quickly spread across Europe. The rule of mandatory captures was added around the 16th century in France, creating the version known as "Jeu Forcé." The game was brought to North America by European colonists and became known as Checkers in the United States.

In 2007, a team led by Jonathan Schaeffer at the University of Alberta completed a monumental computational project: they solved Checkers. After 18 years of calculation using dozens of computers, they proved that perfect play by both sides results in a draw. The program, called Chinook, analyzed 500 billion billion (5×10²⁰) possible positions. This made Checkers the most complex game ever solved at that time. Chinook had previously defeated world champion Marion Tinsley in 1994 — Tinsley, widely regarded as the greatest Checkers player in history, had lost only 7 games in his entire 45-year career.

Today, Checkers remains enormously popular worldwide, with significant variations between countries. International Draughts (played on a 10x10 board with 20 pieces per side) is the standard in continental Europe and is the variant used in international competitions. Russian, Brazilian, Turkish, and Italian Draughts each have their own distinct rules. The game continues to be a staple of family entertainment and is one of the most commonly implemented computer games.