Gamesville.com - Help - How To Play Checkers

Question 

How do I play Checkers?

Answer

• Moving a Checker
  
• Jumping and Kinging
  
• Ending the Game
  
• Player Leaves
  
• Table Options
  

Moving a Checker

To move a checker simply click on it and drag it to the new location.

The square where the checker was and where the checker moves to will be highlighted in blue, so the opponent can follow along.

Jumping and Kinging

A player jumps the opponent by dragging the checker diagonally forward over the opponent's piece to the next open square. When a player jumps a checker, he captures it and the opponent's checker is automatically removed from the board.

A player's turn will not end until he jumps as many of the opponent's checkers as possible.

A player must take each jump in succession and must move the checker to make the first jump then move it a second time to make the second jump and so on.

A checker becomes a king when it reaches the opponent's first row. A king is identified by a small gold crown on top of the checker.

Ending the Game

A game continues until one player either wins or resigns, or until both players agree to end the game in a draw.

A player can offer his opponent a draw at any time by clicking the "Offer Draw" button. If the opponent accepts the draw, the game ends immediately. If the draw is not accepted, the game continues.

If a player is definitely going to lose the game, he can click the "Resign" button and a loss will be calculated to the player's rating.

Player Leaves

If a player leaves during a game, the host will be offered three choices: Wait, find a new table or play a different game. If the game is rated and the host chooses not to wait for another player to join the game, the host automatically wins the game.

Any player who leaves a rated game before it is complete will have their rating change as if they had lost the game.

Table Options

When a host is setting up a Checkers table, there are a couple of options he can select that affect the game play. The default options - and their alternatives - for all tables are as follows:

• Players switch sides after every game. This option makes players switch colors with each new game. Since black always moves first, this option shuffles this advantage between each player.

Once a game has started, the options selected cannot be changed until the game is over. Only the host can change the options settings between games.

Technical Problems

If you are having difficulties loading and running the classic games, see this Troubleshooting section of Gamesville help.