Everything you need to know — from basic controls to advanced tactics. Master the board in minutes.
Click and hold a piece, then drag it to the target square and release. Valid moves will be highlighted. If a capture is available, you must take it.
Tap a piece to select it, then tap the destination square. Alternatively, use drag-and-drop by pressing and sliding. Both methods work seamlessly.
Use the on-screen controls to undo your last move or restart the game entirely. Perfect for learning and experimenting with strategies.
The goal of Checkers Master is simple: capture all of your opponent's pieces or block them so they cannot make any legal moves. The player who achieves either condition first wins the game.
Each player starts with 12 pieces arranged on the dark squares of their three closest rows. The board has 64 squares (8×8), but only the 32 dark squares are used during play.
| Action | Regular Piece | King |
|---|---|---|
| Move Direction | Diagonally forward only | Diagonally forward and backward |
| Move Distance | One square per move | One square per move |
| Capture Direction | Diagonally forward only | Diagonally forward and backward |
| Multi-Jump | Yes — must complete all available jumps in a chain | Yes — must complete all available jumps in a chain |
| Promotion | Promoted to King when reaching the last row | Already a King |
| Mandatory Capture | Yes — if a jump is available, you must take it | Yes — if a jump is available, you must take it |
Pieces in the center of the board have more movement options and are harder to trap. Avoid hugging the edges early in the game.
Keep at least one piece on your back row for as long as possible. This prevents your opponent from easily crowning their pieces into Kings.
When you're ahead in pieces, trading evenly is usually good — it magnifies your advantage. When behind, avoid trades and look for multi-jump opportunities.
Before every move, ask: "What will my opponent do next?" Think at least two moves ahead. The best players anticipate chains of moves, not just single turns.
A fork is when you position a piece so that it threatens two of your opponent's pieces at once. No matter which one they protect, you capture the other. Forks are the bread and butter of intermediate play — learn to set them up and you'll win far more games.
Sometimes the best move is to give up a piece intentionally. Sacrificing a piece to set up a double or triple jump is a classic tactic. Always count the exchange: if you lose one piece but capture two, that's a winning trade.
Once you crown a King, use it aggressively. A King in the center of the board is extremely powerful because it can move and capture in any diagonal direction. Use your Kings to pin down your opponent's regular pieces while advancing your remaining pieces for promotion.
In endgame situations with few pieces remaining, patience is key. Sometimes the best strategy is to force your opponent into a position where they must make a bad move. This is called "zugzwang" — a position where any move worsens their situation.
While the center is generally better, the edges of the board have one advantage: pieces on the edge can only be attacked from one direction. In the endgame, sliding a piece along the edge can be an effective way to force a promotion while limiting your opponent's capture options.
When one of your pieces reaches the farthest row from your starting position, it is "crowned" and becomes a King. Kings can move and capture both forward and backward diagonally, making them significantly more powerful than regular pieces.
Yes. In standard checkers rules (used by Checkers Master), captures are mandatory. If you have a legal jump available, you must take it. If multiple captures are possible, you may choose which one to take, but you must take at least one.
Yes! If after making a jump your piece lands on a square where another jump is available, you must continue jumping. This can result in spectacular multi-capture turns that swing the game dramatically.
The game ends when one player captures all of the opponent's pieces, or when one player has no legal moves remaining (all their pieces are blocked). In either case, the other player wins.