What is Checkers?

Play checkers against the computer with three difficulty levels. Click your pieces to move, capture opponents by jumping over them, and get crowned king when you reach the far side. Standard rules apply — forced captures and king promotions included.

Three difficulty levels change how far ahead the opponent plans. Easy makes obvious moves only, medium looks two or three plies, hard runs a deeper minimax search and rarely hangs pieces. Forced captures, double and triple jumps, and king promotion at the back row all follow standard American draughts rules.

How to use

1. Select your difficulty level (easy, medium, or hard) and start a new game.
2. Click a piece to see available moves highlighted, then click a destination square.
3. Capture all opponent pieces or block them from moving to win the game.

When to use

• Practising tactical patterns like double jumps and back-rank traps against a calibrated opponent.
• Filling a coffee break with a quick game when no friend is around to play in person.
• Teaching a child the rules of checkers with a forgiving easy mode before moving to harder play.

Result

Try a medium difficulty game. Open along the side to control the board edge, chain double jumps to grab multiple pieces, then push one to the back row for a king.

FAQ

Why am I sometimes forced to capture when I'd rather develop another piece?

American checkers requires you to take a capture whenever one is available. If multiple captures exist you can choose between them, but you can't skip one to make a quieter positional move. The Must Jump indicator flags this.

How is a piece promoted to a king and what does it gain?

When a piece reaches the opponent's back row it becomes a king and gets a crown marker. Kings can move and capture both forward and backward, which roughly doubles their tactical value and matters most in the endgame.

What's the actual difference between easy, medium and hard?

Easy picks among legal moves with a shallow heuristic and will blunder. Medium evaluates a few moves ahead. Hard uses a deeper search with alpha-beta pruning, considers king activity and piece count, and punishes hung pieces consistently.

Why did the game end in a draw when I still had pieces?

A draw can occur when neither side has a way to force a win, typically with two kings facing one king on opposite-coloured squares. The engine declares a draw rather than shuffling forever in a dead position.

Are you using international draughts rules or American checkers?

American checkers on an 8x8 board. Men capture only forward, kings move one square at a time, and captures are mandatory. International draughts uses a 10x10 board with flying kings and isn't implemented here.

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