Hobbies And Interests
Components
A checkerboard has 64 squares arranged in an eight by eight grid with alternating light and dark colored squares, typically red and black. Each player has a set of 12 pieces, one set in a light color such as red or white and one in a dark color, usually black. Most checkers sets have pieces with grooves around the edge so that they can stack, and some have a crown on one side of each piece.
Setting Up
Sit across from your opponent and place the board so that you each have a dark square in your lower left corner. Place your 12 pieces on the 12 dark squares of the three rows nearest you. Your opponent should do the same. If one side of each piece has a crown, place that side down. The player with the dark pieces moves first.
Taking a Turn
On each turn you must move one piece. The pieces always stay on dark squares, so every move is diagonal. You may move a piece diagonally forward one square to an empty space, but no more than one square and never backward until later in the game.
Jumping
Capture your opponent’s pieces by jumping over them with your own. To do this, your piece must be next to your opponent’s and there must be an empty square on the opposite side. If a jump is available, you have to take it. If more than one is available, you may choose which to take. Once you jump your opponent’s piece, remove it from the board.
Multiple Jumps
Sometimes when you jump your opponent’s piece, your piece lands in a square from which you can make another jump. If so, you must take that jump as well on the same turn. Continue jumping with the same piece until you can make no more jumps. Again, if more than one jump is available to the piece somewhere along the line, you may choose which to take.
Making a King
If you move a piece to the last row of the board nearest your opponent, it becomes a king. Crown it as a king by stacking a previously captured piece on top of it. If you are playing with a set that has crowns marked on one side of each piece, flip it over so that the crown faces up. There is no limit to how many kings you can have.
Moving a King
Move and jump a king forward or backward, but still always diagonally. Like regular jumps, if a backward jump is available to a king, your king must take it or choose another available jump. The only exception to this is on the turn that the piece is crowned king, because your turn ends when your king is crowned.
Winning the Game
To win the game, either capture every one of your opponent’s pieces or maneuver your pieces to block any moves your opponent can make with her remaining pieces. The game ends in a draw if neither you nor your opponent can win by either option.