Checkers
Jump their pieces and crown a king on the far row
How to play
Checkers on Matsuri is free online checkers (draughts) for two players by the Russian rules: twelve pieces each on the dark squares of an 8 by 8 board, compulsory captures, jumps backward too, and flying kings. Play the computer, send a friend an invite link to play in Telegram or any browser, or pass one phone between two people. It runs on phone or desktop and inside Telegram via @MatsuriGamesBot, with no download or sign-up.
Checkers, also called draughts, on an 8 by 8 board with twelve pieces each on the dark squares, played by the Russian rules (shashki). Men step one square diagonally forward and capture by jumping, backward too. Capturing is compulsory, and a capture goes on while there is more to take with the same piece; you may pick any capture sequence, not only the longest. A man that reaches the far row becomes a king, which moves and captures any distance along a diagonal, and one crowned in the middle of a capture goes on capturing as a king. A player with no move loses; a position repeated three times, or 15 moves each with only kings moving and nothing taken, is a draw. Play the computer, send a friend a link, or play two on one phone.
- Tap one of your pieces, then a dotted square. Men step diagonally forward; a king flies any distance along a diagonal.
- Capturing is a must, backward too: jump a piece to an empty square beyond it, and keep jumping while you can (the board stops on each landing). Any capture route is fine, not only the longest.
- Reach the far row to crown a king. Take every piece, or leave the other side no move, to win.
How to play checkers (Russian draughts rules)
Each side starts with twelve men on the dark squares of its first three rows, and White, at the bottom, moves first. A man steps one square diagonally forward onto an empty square. A man that reaches the far row becomes a king, which moves any number of empty squares along a diagonal, forward or back, like a bishop in chess.
Captures are compulsory. A man captures by jumping an enemy piece next to it, forward or backward, onto the empty square just beyond; a king captures from a distance, jumping a piece anywhere along its diagonal and landing on any empty square past it. After a jump, the same piece goes on jumping while there is anything more to take, and where a king could land on several squares it must pick one that lets it keep capturing. When there is a choice of captures you may take any of them; you do not have to take the most pieces. A piece jumped stays on the board until the move is over, so it cannot be jumped twice and still blocks the way. A man that reaches the far row in the middle of a capture is crowned at once and carries on as a king.
You win when the other side has no move left, because all its pieces are taken or all of them are blocked. The game is a draw when the same position comes up for the third time with the same player to move, or after 15 moves each in which only kings moved and nothing was taken. To move, tap one of your pieces and then a dotted square; the pieces that must capture wear a ring, and in a capture with several jumps the board stops on each landing so you can choose the next one.
Checkers strategy and tips
- Keep your back row for a while. As long as the men on your first row stay home, the other side has no square to crown a king on.
- Play for the centre and keep your men together. Pieces side by side protect each other, while a lone man on the edge has fewer moves and is easy to trap.
- Use the compulsory capture. Offering one man can force the other side to jump into a spot where you take two or three back, the classic shot of draughts.
- A king is worth about three men, and a flying king on the long diagonal controls the whole board. Getting the first king often decides the game.
- Count material before every exchange. When you are ahead, trade pieces to make your lead count; when you are behind, avoid trades and look for a draw.
Modes and difficulty
Play the computer: it looks three moves ahead for each side and always plays out the captures at the end of what it sees, so it rarely leaves a piece hanging; a casual player usually loses to it, but a careful one can win. Play a friend: open a table and send the invite link, and the game starts when they sit down. Two players, one phone: both sit at the same screen and take turns, the board seen from White's side, with no account needed. After a game, ask for a rematch and the other side starts.
Playing Checkers on Matsuri
The server keeps the board and checks every move by the rules, compulsory captures and multi-jumps included, so nobody can play a move the rules do not allow. In languages where people play plain checkers, the table opens in a classic wooden look with ivory and black pieces; elsewhere it opens with candy pieces, and either look can be picked under the board. A game pays a little candy once at least 16 moves have been played: against a friend 15 for a win, 8 for a draw and 5 for a loss, against the computer 6 for a win, within the day's candy budget.
A little history
Games of jumping pieces on a board are very old. Draughts on the 64-square chessboard was played in France by the 12th century, the rule that capturing is compulsory came in the 1500s, and long-range kings spread through Europe in the 1700s. In Russia shashki became a national pastime, with the rules played here, and Russian draughts on 64 squares is still one of the most popular board games across Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet countries. English checkers keeps short kings and no backward captures, while international draughts is played on a 100-square board.
Questions
- What rules does this checkers game use?
- Russian draughts (shashki) on an 8 by 8 board: men move forward diagonally but capture backward too, capturing is compulsory, a capture goes on while there is more to take, and kings fly any distance along a diagonal. You may choose any capture route, not only the longest.
- Is capturing compulsory in checkers?
- Yes. If any of your pieces can capture, you must capture, and the board rings the pieces that can. After a jump, the same piece must keep jumping while it can still take something.
- What happens when a man reaches the last row in the middle of a capture?
- It is crowned at once and, if there is more to take, goes on capturing as a king in the same move.
- How does a game of checkers end in a draw?
- When the same position comes up for the third time with the same player to move, or after 15 moves each in which only kings moved and nothing was taken. Otherwise the player left without a move, or without pieces, loses.
- Can I play checkers online with a friend for free?
- Yes. Send a friend the invite link to play in Telegram or any browser, or pass one phone between two players. There is also the computer, which looks three moves ahead for each side.