Play Draughts Online at a New Level

What are Draughts?

Draughts (checkers) is a family of two-player abstract strategy games. Depending on the ruleset, play takes place on an 8×8 or 10×10 board. In standard variants, you win by taking every opposing piece or leaving the opponent without a legal move.

Standard draughts has no dice or shuffled cards: positions follow from the players’ choices. The game rewards planning exchanges, calculating capture sequences and managing promotion.

The variants differ in board size, starting setup, movement, king range and capture priority. This site includes eight regional rulesets plus Giveaway, Fog of War, Duck Checkers and Flick Checkers.

Basic Rules of Playing Draughts

Initial Position: The setup depends on the variant. Common 8×8 diagonal games start with 12 pieces per side, International Draughts uses 20 on a 10×10 board, Turkish Draughts uses 16, and Thai Draughts uses eight.

Moves: In most diagonal variants, a man moves one square forward. Turkish pieces move orthogonally instead. A man is promoted on the far rank, but the exact timing and the new king’s range depend on the ruleset.

Capture (Jump): Captures are compulsory in every standard ruleset offered here. Men usually jump an opposing piece, while flying kings may capture from a distance. Capture direction, route priority and when captured pieces leave the board vary by variant.

King: Kings move in both directions, but their range varies. English and Italian kings move one diagonal step; Russian, Brazilian, International, Portuguese and Thai kings fly diagonally; Turkish kings fly orthogonally.

Victory: In standard variants, you win by taking every opposing piece or leaving the opponent without a legal move. Giveaway reverses that goal: you win by losing all your own pieces or becoming unable to move. Draw rules vary by variant.

History of Draughts

Modern draughts is generally traced to medieval Europe, where the much older game of Alquerque was adapted to a chessboard around the 12th century. Ancient board games are possible precursors, but they were not the same standardized game.

Regional rules later diverged. English Draughts kept an 8×8 board and short kings, International Draughts developed on a 10×10 board, and Russian, Brazilian, Italian, Portuguese and Turkish traditions established their own movement and capture rules.

Published rulebooks, national federations and international bodies gradually standardized competition. The WCDF maintains rules for English Draughts, while the FMJD and national federations govern International Draughts and other disciplines.

Strategy and Tactics in Draughts

Center Control: Useful squares and lanes depend on the variant. Central pieces often have more options, but compulsory captures can make an edge position or a deliberate sacrifice strategically valuable.

Position Structure: Keep pieces coordinated so they can support one another, and watch for gaps that allow a breakthrough. The best formation depends on movement and capture rules.

Exchange: Judge every exchange by the resulting position, capture sequence and promotion race. A material advantage can make simplification useful in standard play, while Giveaway reverses that logic.

King Promotion: Promotion is usually a major objective, but king strength and promotion timing vary. Plan a safe route to the far rank and check whether a capture sequence promotes immediately or only after the move.

Combinations: Compulsory captures create forcing combinations. Calculate the complete capture route, including any maximum-capture or tie-break rule, before committing to a sacrifice.

Benefits of Playing Draughts Online

On Draughts.io you can play against adaptive AI, use a local two-player board, join supported online matchmaking or invite a friend with a private link. Browser play is free and does not require registration.

Multiple AI strengths let newcomers learn at their own pace and give experienced players a tougher practice partner. Saved games and move-by-move analysis help you review concrete decisions.

Online and local modes make it easy to share a game across phones, tablets and computers. Draughts is a compact way to practise calculation, planning and concentration, without making medical claims about cognitive health.