Checkers Strategy: Take the Center, Crown a King and Win More Games
How to win more games of checkers: take the center, move in pairs, guard your back row, set up double jumps and finish with two kings against one.
Sunroom Games · Updated
Checkers looks simple: every piece moves the same way, one square at a time. But it's a game of small advantages. One extra piece, a king a few moves sooner, or a back row that holds a little longer is usually what decides a game. Here's what makes the difference, with numbers from our own test games.
If you'd like the rules first, see how to play Checkers.
What wins games of checkers
We had two computer players at Medium level play 200 games against each other, and looked at what decided them.
- A one-piece lead goes a long way. When one side was at least a piece ahead after twenty moves each, it went on to win 72 of those games in 100 and lost only 15.
- The first king matters. The player who crowned the first king won 53 games in 100 and lost only about 25.
- Double jumps are common. About four games in five had at least one turn where a piece jumped two or more pieces at once.
- Draws happen. About one game in five was drawn, usually with only kings left on the board.
So the plan is simple: don't give pieces away, win one if you can, and get a king.
1. Take the center
The four dark squares in the middle of the board are the most useful places for your pieces. A piece there has two squares to move to, it blocks Carol's pieces from coming through, and it's hard to trap. Good opening moves head toward the center, and it's worth keeping a piece or two there for most of the game.
2. Move in pairs
A piece can only be jumped if the square behind it is empty. Keep your pieces close together, each one backed up by another, and Carol has nothing to jump. The pieces that get taken are usually the ones that run ahead on their own.
3. Keep two pieces on your back row
When one of Carol's pieces reaches your back row, it's crowned a king. Your back row is your defense, but you don't need all four pieces there to hold it. Two pieces on the second and fourth dark squares of your back row, counting from the left, guard the whole row: on its own, one of Carol's pieces can't get past them.
Experienced players call this pair the bridge. Move your other two back-row pieces into play early, and keep these two at home for as long as you can.
4. Use the forced capture to set up a double jump
Capturing is compulsory, so you can make Carol jump. Offer a piece in the right place, and Carol's jump lands right where you can jump two pieces in return. Players call this a shot.
Look at the piece in the bottom corner, too. Without it, Carol's piece would have kept jumping, over your piece on the next row, and been crowned. Before you set up a shot, check where Carol's jump will end.
5. Before every move, look for Carol's jumps
Shots work against you too, so before each move, ask two questions. Can Carol jump the piece I'm moving, on its new square? And does the square I'm leaving open up a jump on one of my other pieces? The second one catches out even good players. If you're not sure, the hint button suggests a move and tells you whether your piece will be safe there.
6. Be careful on the sides
A piece on the side of the board can never be jumped, because there's no square beyond it to land on. That makes the sides a safe place to wait. But a piece there has only one square to move to, and too many pieces on the edges leave the center to Carol. Use the sides to rest a piece for a move or two, not to park half your army.
7. Race for a king, then use it
Kings move backwards as well as forwards, which makes each one worth much more than an ordinary piece. In our test games, the player who crowned the first king won more than half the time. Once you have a king, bring it back toward the middle of the board, where it can attack Carol's pieces from behind and help your own pieces through to be crowned.
8. Trade pieces when you're ahead
When you're a piece ahead, swapping one of your pieces for one of Carol's makes your lead count for more. Twelve against eleven is a small edge, but three against two is often enough to win. When you're behind, do the opposite: avoid even trades, keep your pieces together and wait for Carol to make a mistake.
9. Finish with two kings against one
The lone king's best hope is a double corner: the two dark squares that sit together in the top-left and bottom-right corners of the board. It can shuffle between them, and simply chasing it there gets you nowhere. Here's how to get it out:
- Bring both kings near the corner, close together, so one guards the other.
- When the lone king is on one corner square, move a king onto the other corner square. Now it has only one way to go: out of the corner.
- Follow it with that king, so it can't go back, and bring your other king round to meet it along the edge. With nowhere safe left to step, it has to move next to one of your kings, and you jump it.
We worked this ending out exactly, for every possible position. Two kings can force a win from almost anywhere, and never need more than 33 moves, counting both players' moves, so there's plenty of time before the 80-move draw if you start right away.
One king against one is usually a draw. The danger is the two single corners, bottom left and top right, where just one dark square sits in the corner: a king caught near one of them can be trapped, so keep a lone king in the middle of the board or in a double corner. Against two kings, a double corner makes the other player work hardest, but with the right technique the two kings still win, and Carol knows the technique on Medium and Hard.
Why so many games are drawn
Checkers is old, and it has been studied more deeply than almost any other game. In 2007, a team at the University of Alberta in Canada finished an 18-year project with a computer program called Chinook, and proved that if neither player makes a mistake, checkers always ends in a draw. In our own tests, the stronger the players, the more draws: about one game in five between two Medium players, and three games in five between two Hard players.
So a draw against Carol on Hard is a good result. To win, you need Carol to slip, and the best way to make that happen is patience: keep your pieces together and your back row safe, and wait for your shot.
Playing Carol at each level
- Easy: Carol looks only a move or two ahead and often leaves pieces where you can jump them. Look for a free jump every turn, and practice setting up shots.
- Medium: Carol rarely gives a piece away for nothing, but can fall for a shot that you prepare a few moves in advance.
- Hard: Carol looks several moves deeper and won 11 games out of 12 against Medium in our tests. Keep your back row, move in pairs and trade when you're ahead.
The hint button thinks like Carol on Hard, so it's a good teacher: ask for a hint, then try to work out why it's the best move. If you enjoy games for two, our guides to Backgammon strategy, Cribbage strategy and card games for two have more ideas.