American Checkers

How to play American Checkers?

American Checkers (English "checkers") is one of the most played types of checkers in the world, in which the pieces move only diagonally and only forward, unlike Turkish Checkers. Your visual-spatial thinking skills improve when you play against your computer opponent.

1. Pieces move only DISTRICT and only FORWARD.
2. You defeat the opponent's piece by jumping diagonally over it. If there is an opportunity to eat repeatedly, it is mandatory to continue.
3. If you can eat, you have to eat (you choose which stone to eat).
4. The piece that reaches the last row of the opposing side becomes "Checkers"; Now it can move diagonally backwards and eat (but it doesn't fly, it moves one square).
5. You win if you capture all your opponent's pieces or make them unable to move.

American Checkers strategy tips

• Keep your back row pieces in place for as long as possible; It makes it difficult for the opponent to get a checker.
• The side that controls the squares in the middle of the board usually has more move options.
• Since eating is mandatory, you can trap your opponent by forcing him to eat something he doesn't want.
• Since checkers can be returned, one checker is more valuable than a few pieces at the end of the game.

American Checkers history

American Checkers is a type of checkers played only on the dark squares of an 8x8 board, known as "checkers" or "draughts" in English-speaking countries. Each player has 12 tiles.

The game is also famous in computer science: In 2007, with the Chinook program developed by researchers from the University of Alberta, it was shown that the game can be solved, that is, if both sides play perfectly, the result is a draw.

Other names: Checkers, English Checkers, English drafts, cross checkers