Checkers Rules Explained: Jumps, Kings and Moving Backwards
In standard American checkers: yes, you can double jump, and triple jump, as long as the same piece keeps finding pieces to jump. Yes, you have to jump whenever a capture is available, though you can choose which one. No, a regular piece can't move or capture backwards; only a king can. A piece that reaches the far row is crowned and its turn ends there.
Can you double jump in checkers?
Yes. After a jump, if the same piece can jump another enemy piece from the square where it landed, it must keep going in the same turn. There's no limit: a double, triple or even longer jump is all one move, and the piece may change diagonal direction between jumps. Every jumped piece is removed.
Can you triple jump in checkers?
Yes, and the rules treat it exactly like a double jump: one piece, one turn, as many jumps as are available. A man can only jump forwards during the sequence, while a king can jump forwards and backwards. A piece can't jump the same enemy piece twice in one move.
Do you have to jump in checkers?
Yes. In standard checkers captures are compulsory: if any of your pieces can jump, you must make a capture instead of a normal move. This forced-capture rule is what makes checkers tactical, because your opponent can offer you a piece knowing you have to take it.
- You choose which capture. If two different pieces can jump, or one piece can jump in two directions, pick whichever you like.
- You don't have to take the most pieces. American checkers lets you choose a single jump even if a double jump is available elsewhere.
- You do have to finish the sequence you've started. You can't stop halfway through a multi-jump.
What is huffing?
In older and casual games, if you missed a jump your opponent could "huff" you: remove the piece that should have jumped. Huffing is no longer part of the official rules. Today a missed capture is simply taken back and the jump made instead. On GameLake the game won't let you make a normal move when a capture is available, so you can't miss one by accident.
Can you move backwards in checkers?
Not with a regular piece. In American checkers a man moves and captures only diagonally forward, towards your opponent's side. It can't step back, and it can't jump an enemy piece that's behind it, even when the square beyond is empty.
A king can. Once a man is crowned it moves and captures diagonally in all four directions, one square at a time. That's why getting the first king is often a turning point in the game.
Kings and crowning: the details
- When: a man is crowned as soon as it lands on the far row, whether by a normal move or a jump.
- Crowning ends the turn. If a man reaches the far row in the middle of a multi-jump, it stops there, even if as a king it could keep jumping. It can jump on your next turn.
- How far kings move: one square diagonally per step, forwards or backwards. Kings don't fly across the board in American checkers.
- How many kings: there's no limit. In a real set you crown a piece by stacking a captured piece of the same colour on top.
Common house rules
Lots of people learn checkers at home with rules that drifted over the years. None of these is wrong for a friendly game, but they aren't the standard rules, and they change the strategy a lot.
| Rule | Standard American checkers | Common house rule |
|---|---|---|
| Capturing | Compulsory | Optional, or "huffing" a piece that missed a jump |
| Men capturing backwards | Not allowed | Sometimes allowed |
| King moves | One square at a time | Any distance along a diagonal |
| Reaching the far row mid-jump | Turn ends | The new king keeps jumping |
| Who moves first | The darker pieces | Whoever you agree |
GameLake follows the standard American rules, so the same habits will work against Hop and in any club or tournament game.
International draughts and other versions
Checkers is one member of a big family of draughts games, and a few of the rules above are exactly where the versions differ. If you've played somewhere else and the rules felt different, this is probably why.
| Version | Board and pieces | Men capture backwards? | Kings |
|---|---|---|---|
| American checkers / English draughts | 8×8, 12 each | No | One square at a time |
| International draughts | 10×10, 20 each | Yes | Move any distance ("flying") |
| Russian draughts | 8×8, 12 each | Yes | Move any distance |
| Brazilian draughts | 8×8, 12 each | Yes | Move any distance |
International draughts also has a majority rule: when you have a choice of captures, you must take the sequence that captures the most pieces, and white moves first. In Russian draughts a man that reaches the far row in the middle of a capture becomes a king immediately and carries on jumping as one.
Frequently asked questions
Can you double jump in checkers?
Yes. If a piece can jump again after a capture, it must keep jumping in the same turn. Double, triple and longer jumps are all allowed.
Can you move backwards in checkers?
Only with a king. Regular pieces move and capture diagonally forward only. Once crowned, a king can move and capture backwards too.
Do you have to jump in checkers?
Yes, under the standard rules. If you can capture, you must, but you may choose which capture to make when there's more than one.
Can you triple jump in checkers?
Yes. A piece keeps jumping as long as there are enemy pieces to jump with empty squares behind them, so triple jumps and longer are legal.
Can a king jump backwards in checkers?
Yes. A king can jump in all four diagonal directions, and it can mix forward and backward jumps in one multi-jump.
Does crowning end your turn in checkers?
Yes. In American checkers, a man that reaches the far row is crowned and stops, even in the middle of a jump sequence.