Checkers, also known as draughts, boasts a history stretching back millennia, with evidence suggesting its existence as far back as 3000 BC. Its enduring popularity stems from its simple yet engaging gameplay, making it accessible to players of all ages and skill levels. Thanks to platforms like 247 Checkers, enjoying this classic board game is easier than ever. Forget about physical boards and pieces – Online Checkers Free is readily available anytime you want to play.
New to the world of online checkers free on 247 Checkers? Or perhaps you’re looking to refine your skills? This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know. We’ll cover the fundamental rules, how to navigate the online platform, and strategies to improve your game and secure those wins in online checkers free matches.
Understanding the Basics of Checkers
Checkers is a two-player game played on an 8×8 board, similar to a chessboard, with alternating light and dark squares. Each player starts with twelve pieces, typically red and black discs.
The objective in online checkers free, just like traditional checkers, is to win by:
- Capturing all of your opponent’s pieces.
- Blocking your opponent to the point where they cannot make any legal moves.
The first player to achieve either of these conditions wins the match of online checkers free. “Capturing” is a key concept in checkers, and we’ll delve into the mechanics of capturing pieces as we progress through this guide to playing online checkers free.
In online checkers free, players alternate turns. Usually, the player with the black pieces moves first – this is the default setup in 247 Checkers’ online checkers free platform. If you prefer to start first, simply select black when setting up your online checkers free game.
Getting Started with Online Checkers Free on 247 Checkers
Launching your first game of online checkers free on 247 Checkers is a breeze. Once you’re on the website, simply click the prominent “Play” button. This will present you with four exciting ways to enjoy online checkers free:
- 1 Player: Play against the computer AI in online checkers free.
- 2 Player: Enjoy a local, pass-and-play game of online checkers free with a friend.
- Play Online: Challenge other players in online checkers free matches around the world.
- Daily Challenge: Test your skills in a unique online checkers free puzzle each day.
For this guide, let’s begin with the “1 Player” option to practice online checkers free against the computer. You’ll be presented with four difficulty levels, selectable by clicking the arrows:
- Easy: Perfect for absolute beginners to online checkers free.
- Medium: A moderate challenge for those with some checkers experience.
- Hard: A significant step up, testing your strategic thinking in online checkers free.
- Expert: The ultimate test against a formidable AI opponent in online checkers free.
Choose the difficulty that matches your skill level. If you’re new to online checkers free, starting with “Easy” is highly recommended. Before your game starts, you’ll see a quick settings screen where you can choose your piece color. Here’s what this screen looks like:
In this example, you (Player) are assigned black, meaning you’ll make the first move in this online checkers free game. You’ll also notice a “Force Jump” setting that can be toggled ON or OFF. This rule is crucial in online checkers free: it mandates that a player must jump and capture an opponent’s piece if a jump is available. Captured pieces are removed from the board. Enabling “Force Jump” ensures you never miss a capture opportunity in online checkers free, and it also requires you to make consecutive jumps if multiple captures are possible in a single turn.
For beginners in online checkers free, we strongly recommend leaving “Force Jump” ON. It helps you learn to spot capture opportunities and prevents situations where you might overlook crucial moves because you’re not yet accustomed to scanning the entire online checkers free board.
After confirming the settings, click “Start Game” and dive into your first match of online checkers free!
Making Moves in Online Checkers Free on 247 Checkers
We’ve touched upon “capturing” and “jumping” – these are the fundamental ways you move and interact with pieces in online checkers free. Unlike chess, all pieces in online checkers free move according to the same rules:
Pieces move one square diagonally forward to an adjacent dark square only.
At the start of a game of online checkers free, pieces in the center can move diagonally left or right, as both adjacent squares will be empty. Pieces on the edges have only one forward diagonal movement option. Remember, in online checkers free, pieces always stay on dark squares.
On 247 Checkers’ online checkers free platform, moves are executed by clicking on your chosen piece and then clicking on the dark square you want to move it to.
The square you select will be highlighted in yellow. If you click an invalid square in online checkers free, the move will be disallowed. To make learning online checkers free even easier, 247 Checkers offers a helpful feature. Click the settings icon (gear icon) at the top right of the screen and enable the “Show Moves” setting.
This feature visually displays all valid moves for any piece you select in online checkers free, as shown below:
As you can see, the selected black piece has two possible moves highlighted by green squares. This “Show Moves” feature is incredibly beneficial for beginners in online checkers free, clearly indicating all legal moves.
You’ll also notice that only some black pieces are highlighted in white. This is another aspect of the “Show Moves” feature, indicating which of your pieces can actually be moved during your current turn in online checkers free. Pieces blocked by others won’t be highlighted.
After you make your move in online checkers free, the computer AI (or your human opponent if you’re playing online) will automatically take their turn. Players continue alternating turns in this way until one player wins the online checkers free game.
Capturing Pieces in Online Checkers Free
In online checkers free, “capturing” an opponent’s piece occurs when you “jump” diagonally over it. The captured piece is then removed from the board. 247 Checkers conveniently displays the number of captured pieces for each player on the sides of the online checkers free game board. In the screenshots, you’ll see small red and black pieces with a ‘0’ initially, indicating no captures yet.
The first player to capture all 12 of their opponent’s pieces wins the online checkers free match!
Capturing in online checkers free is possible only when an opponent’s piece is diagonally adjacent to your piece, and there is an empty square immediately behind it in the direction of the jump. Your piece then jumps over the opponent’s piece and lands in the empty square, capturing the piece it jumped over.
In this 247 Checkers online checkers free game example, the yellow-highlighted black piece can jump over the red piece and land on the red-highlighted square. With “Force Jump” and “Show Moves” enabled, capturing the red piece is the only available move.
If “Force Jump” were disabled, you might have the option to simply move the highlighted piece diagonally to the left instead. However, understanding and utilizing captures is a vital part of checkers strategy, which is why we advise keeping “Force Jump” on, especially when learning online checkers free.
Consecutive Captures in Online Checkers Free
Typically, in online checkers free, you move only one piece per turn. However, when you have the opportunity to capture, things change. You are allowed, and often required (with “Force Jump” on), to capture multiple pieces in a single turn.
There’s no limit to the number of pieces you can capture consecutively in one move of online checkers free; it depends entirely on the board configuration and available jump sequences. As you become more proficient at online checkers free, you’ll learn to strategically position your pieces to create opportunities for multiple captures. This is a powerful tactic to gain a significant advantage quickly in online checkers free.
Consecutive captures in online checkers free are performed as follows:
- Jump over the first opponent’s piece into the empty square behind it.
- Immediately check if, from your new position, there’s another opponent’s piece diagonally adjacent with an empty square to jump into. If so, you must jump again.
- Continue this process as long as there are valid consecutive jumps available.
With the “Show Moves” feature active in 247 Checkers online checkers free, you’ll clearly see when multiple captures are possible. In the example above, the highlighted black piece can jump diagonally right over one red piece, and then diagonally left over another. Since it reaches the edge of the board, no further jumps are possible from that position.
Clicking on the first red square will automatically execute both jumps in one move, ensuring you maximize your capture potential in online checkers free.
Becoming a King in Online Checkers Free
Regular pieces in online checkers free can only move forward. However, if you manage to move a piece all the way to the opposite end of the board, it becomes a “king.” Kings are significantly more powerful pieces, capable of strategic maneuvering and capturing from unexpected angles in online checkers free. A king can move diagonally forward and backward at all times!
In the example below, a black piece has reached the far side of the board and is now crowned as a king. 247 Checkers visually distinguishes kings by adding a small crown icon.
Despite being on the edge of the board, this king piece can now move backward diagonally in either direction. Observe what happens when we position this king behind a red piece:
The king can now jump backward over the red piece, capturing it from behind! Suddenly, previously safe pieces are vulnerable to attack not only from your forward pieces but also from kings positioned behind enemy lines.
This is why “kinging” as many pieces as possible is a highly effective strategy in online checkers free. Kings provide unmatched mobility and significantly increase your offensive and defensive capabilities.
Winning Online Checkers Free by Blocking Your Opponent
Recall that there are two ways to win in online checkers free. The first, and most obvious, is to capture all of your opponent’s pieces. However, the second win condition is to trap your opponent so they have no legal moves remaining.
This is a more strategic and challenging way to win in online checkers free, but it can be very satisfying. The key tactic is to “trap” opponent’s pieces, particularly along the edges of the board. Pieces on the side edges have limited movement options, and if you can effectively block them with a line of your pieces, you can restrict their mobility entirely.
Here’s an example of a game of online checkers free won by trapping:
The red piece on the left has no legal moves because a black piece is directly in front, and another black piece prevents a jump capture. On the right side, the red piece is also completely blocked. Its only possible move would be to the last dark square, but a black piece already occupies it. Since the red player has no valid moves, they forfeit the game, and the black player wins this online checkers free match.
Top Tactics for Success in Online Checkers Free
Improving your win rate in online checkers free involves learning and applying effective strategies. Here are three key tactics to focus on, especially for beginners:
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Form Double Lines: Whenever possible, move your pieces to create lines of two pieces in a row as you advance up the board. This creates strong defensive walls, making it harder for your opponent to capture your pieces and also limiting their movement options. This is a great way to control the flow of the online checkers free game and potentially trap your opponent.
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Prioritize Kinging Pieces: Actively work towards getting your pieces to the opposite side of the board to create kings. The more kings you have in online checkers free, the greater your advantage. Kings are powerful offensively and defensively and significantly increase your chances of winning.
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Strategic Sacrifices: Understand that losing some pieces is often unavoidable in online checkers free. Instead of trying to avoid all captures, look for opportunities to strategically sacrifice a piece to gain a more advantageous position. For example, sacrificing a piece to lure an opponent into a position where you can then execute a double or triple capture is often a worthwhile trade.
Playing Two-Player Checkers Free Locally on 247 Checkers
For offline fun, 247 Checkers offers a two-player “pass and play” mode for checkers free. Select “2 Player” from the main “Play” menu. This takes you to the familiar pre-game settings screen where you and your friend can choose colors and decide whether to use the “Force Jump” rule for your checkers free game.
Once set up, the game begins, with black pieces moving first. Players take turns making their moves on the same device, passing it back and forth. Continue playing your checkers free game until a winner is decided!
This mode is perfect for enjoying checkers free with friends or family in person, adding a social element to the classic game. It’s a fantastic option for game nights without the worry of accidentally knocking over a physical board game!
Playing Online Checkers Free Against Others on 247 Checkers
247 Checkers also provides a robust online platform to challenge human opponents in checkers free! When you select “Online” from the “Play” menu, you’ll see three options:
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Play Anyone: Selecting this option instantly queues you for a game against a random online opponent also looking for a checkers free match. Wait times are usually short, but be prepared to play against someone of varying skill levels. This is a great way to test your skills against a diverse range of players in checkers free.
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Invite a Friend: Playing checkers free online with a specific friend is simple. Click “Invite a Friend,” and a unique game code and link will be generated. Share this code or link with your friend so they can join your private checkers free game.
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Join a Friend: If your friend has already created a game, choose “Join a Friend.” You’ll need to enter the Game Code they provided, and you’ll then be connected to their checkers free game and ready to play.
Daily Challenges in Online Checkers Free on 247 Checkers
Finally, 247 Checkers offers a unique “Daily Challenge” mode. In this mode, you play a single-player checkers free game with the goal of winning as quickly as possible. Your game time is recorded and placed on a daily leaderboard, allowing you to compare your speed and skill against other players of online checkers free.
To participate in the Daily Challenge, you must select the “Daily Challenge” option each day. Playing a regular single-player game will not count towards the daily leaderboard.
And that’s your complete guide to playing online checkers free on 247 Checkers! Explore the various game modes, hone your skills, and enjoy countless hours of strategic fun with online checkers free. Be sure to also check out the Seasonal Checkers Games section on the website for fun variations with themed pieces instead of traditional discs!
