How to Win at Checkers: Strategy, Tricks and Traps
To win at checkers, use the rule that jumps are mandatory: give up one piece on purpose so your opponent is forced to take it, then jump back two or three pieces. Between those shots, hold the center, keep two pieces on your back row to stop early kings, and trade pieces once you are ahead, because every trade makes your extra piece count for more.
Key points
- Forced jumps are your weapon: offer one piece, let the forced capture pull an enemy piece into place, then multi-jump.
- The video trap turns an even 6 vs 6 position into 5 vs 3, with a new king.
- Center first: pieces in the middle have two forward moves and protect each other.
- Guard the back row: keeping pieces on c1 and g1 blocks most early kings. NitroPlayer's computer gives itself a bonus for the same squares.
- Trade when ahead: 12 vs 11 is a small edge, 3 vs 2 is usually a win.
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The forced jump trap from the video
In American checkers, if you can jump, you must jump. That rule lets you decide where your opponent's piece will land. Here is the exact position from the video. You play red from the bottom; squares are named like a chessboard, with columns a to h from left to right and rows 1 to 8 from your side.
- Red (you): a1, c1, g1, f2, c3, e3.
- Black (the computer): b8, d8, a7, g7, c5, e5.
- Red plays e3 to d4. The piece looks free for the taking, and it is.
- Black must jump: c5 takes d4 and lands on e3. It is black's only legal move. The e5 piece cannot jump, because c3 behind d4 is occupied.
- Red jumps three times with the f2 piece: over e3 to d4, over e5 to f6, over g7 to h8.
- The piece lands on the last row and becomes a king.
Before the trap the count was 6 against 6. After it, red has 5 pieces including a king, and black has 3. We checked the line with the game's own move generator: black has exactly one legal reply, and the triple jump is red's only answer, so it works the same against every computer level.
How to spot a checkers trap
The video trap is one example of what checkers players call a shot. You can find your own by checking three things:
- Where will the capture land? The enemy piece ends up on the square behind your offered piece. Ask whether one of your pieces can jump it from there.
- Is there a chain? Look for enemy pieces with empty squares diagonally behind them, in a zigzag. Each one is a possible extra hop.
- Is their reply really forced? If your opponent has a second capture somewhere else, they can choose it and spoil the trap. On NitroPlayer they may pick any available jump.
The same rule works against you. Before each move, ask what your opponent is forced to do and what they could jump next turn.
Checkers strategy: control the center
A piece on the edge has only one forward move, and it can never be jumped from the side, but it also does little. A piece in the center has two forward moves and covers squares on both sides. Aim your early moves at the four middle squares of the board, and move in pairs, with one piece diagonally behind another, so the front piece cannot be jumped.
From the starting position red has 7 possible first moves. Moves toward the middle, such as c3 to d4 or e3 to d4, keep your options open; a move to the edge, like g3 to h4, does much less.
Guard your back row
Your back row is where the other side crowns kings. If you keep pieces on c1 and g1, an enemy man has a hard time getting through: most paths to a crowning square run into one of those two pieces. Move the other back pieces first, and give up c1 and g1 only in the endgame or when you need them for an attack.
The computer in our checkers game thinks the same way: its scoring gives a bonus for keeping men on those two squares (and a smaller one for the middle back square) as long as the other side still has men to crown.
Trade when you are ahead, avoid trades when behind
One extra piece matters more as the board empties. At 12 against 11 you have about 9% more material, which is hard to use. At 3 against 2 you have 50% more, and the extra piece can usually trap the rest. So when you win a piece, offer even trades: one for one, again and again.
When you are behind, do the opposite. Keep pieces on the board, avoid swaps, and look for a blockade or a shot like the one above to get the material back.
Getting and using kings
- Worth about one and a half men. The NitroPlayer computer values a king at 155 points against 100 for a man, a fair rule of thumb for you too.
- Crown with support. A lone man racing up the side is easy to trap. Push two pieces together.
- A jump that crowns ends the turn. Your new king cannot keep jumping until your next move.
- Attack from behind. Men cannot move backward, so a king behind them picks them off.
- Two kings beat one. Use both to drive a lone king out of the double corner. If you only chase with king moves, the game is drawn after 50 moves each with no capture and no man moved.
How to beat the computer at each level
| Level | How far it looks (from the game code) | Random moves | What beats it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | Up to 2 turns ahead | About 1 move in 4 | Simple shots and trades |
| Medium | Up to 5 turns ahead | About 1 move in 25 | Traps deeper than 5 turns, and patient trades |
| Hard | Up to 12 turns ahead, within a time limit | None | Solid play: perfect checkers is a draw, so a draw on Hard is a good result |
All levels are free in your browser, with no download or sign-up. You can also play online or send a friend a private link, where the forced jump trap works best of all.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best strategy in checkers?
Control the center, keep your back row guarded, move pieces in pairs and use forced jumps to set traps. Once you are a piece ahead, trade pieces one for one until the extra piece decides the game.
Do you have to jump in checkers?
Yes. In American checkers a capture is mandatory, and a piece that can keep jumping must continue. If you have several captures, you may choose which one to make.
Is there a trick to always win at checkers?
No. Checkers was solved in 2007, and with perfect play from both sides it is a draw. You win by setting traps your opponent misses, like giving up one piece to jump three.
Can a king be jumped in checkers?
Yes. A king is captured exactly like a man, by jumping over it onto an empty square behind it. Keep your kings next to other pieces or near the edge when the opponent has pieces nearby.
Video transcript
Want to beat the computer at Checkers? Use this simple trap.
Remember: in Checkers, if you can jump, you have to jump.
So give one piece away, on purpose.
The computer is forced to take it.
And now you jump three pieces in a row!
Plus, you get a King. Kings can move backwards too.
Now you try! And on NitroPlayer, you can play with your friends. Games are so much more fun together.
Play free at NitroPlayer dot com.
