Checkers Unblocked

Checkers looks gentle, but the forced-capture rule turns it into a game of traps. Because you must jump whenever you can, a good player can hand you a piece on purpose and take three back. This version from Christopher Müller’s PaperGames project plays on a clean black-and-white 8x8 board that is easy to read on a phone or a Chromebook. Play it unblocked against an easy, medium or hard computer, choose which color you want, or pass the screen to a friend for a local match. Your game in progress is saved automatically.

Moving, Jumping and Crowning

Each side starts with twelve pieces on the dark squares of its first three rows, and Black moves first. An ordinary piece, or man, steps one square diagonally forward onto an empty dark square. It never moves backward.

To capture, a man jumps diagonally over an enemy piece next to it and lands on the empty square just beyond. If it can jump again from there, the chain continues in the same turn. You only tap where the chain should end, and the game plays every jump in between.

Captures are compulsory. As long as one is available, quiet moves are blocked.

A man that reaches the opposite edge becomes a king. Kings still move one square at a time, but they can go forward or backward, which makes them far more useful in the endgame.

You win when your opponent has no pieces left or cannot move on their turn. Forty moves each without a capture ends the game as a draw.

Checkers controls

To do this	Keyboard	Mouse	Touch
Choose a piece and its destination	Arrow keys to reach a square, Enter to pick it	Click your piece, then the square it should land on	Tap your piece, then the landing square
Switch between friend and computer play	—	Click "2 Player (local)" or "vs Computer"	Tap "2 Player (local)" or "vs Computer"
Begin a computer match	—	Choose a color and level, then click "New game"	Choose a color and level, then tap "New game"
Reverse your previous turn	—	Click "Undo"	Tap "Undo"
Bring back the mode buttons mid-game	—	Click "Menu"	Tap "Menu"

Mistakes That Lose Checkers Games

• Emptying the back row too soon. Those pieces stop enemy men from crowning. Move them last.
• Leaving gaps behind your pieces. A man with an empty square behind it can be jumped. Pieces that travel in diagonal pairs protect each other.
• Ignoring what a forced jump sets up. Before you take, look at where your piece lands. The computer on Hard loves to give one piece and win two.
• Hugging the edge. A piece on the side has only one forward square. Central pieces have two and control more of the board.
• Trading without a plan. Swapping pieces helps the player who is ahead. If you are behind, keep the board crowded.

Who Will Enjoy It

This is a strong pick for anyone who wants a short, thinking game without a long rulebook. The three computer levels cover a wide range: Easy moves at random, Medium looks one move ahead, and Hard searches several moves deep. Settings let you enlarge the text, raise contrast, add spacing or change how fast the computer replies, which helps on small or dim screens.

Once you are comfortable here, Chess vs Computer is the natural next step, and Konane offers a Hawaiian game built entirely around jumping.