Some Checkers History

Some say that the oldest form of Checkers was discovered in an archeological dig at the ancient site of Ur in Iraq. It dates back as far as 3000 B.C. using some kind of board and pieces, but no rules of the game were discovered.

Then in ancient Egypt, around 1400 B.C., a game called Alquerque with a 5 x 5 board was discovered. It was very popular and was played all over the western world for many, many years.

Around the 12th century the French got the idea of playing the game on a chess board. This required expanding the number of pieces to 12 to each player, and they called it "Fierges". It was considered a social game for women "Le Jeu Plaisant de Dames" until someone decided that jumping your opponents checker should be mandatory. This made the game more challenging and popularized it with men too. In the late 16th century Checkers made its way to England (where they called it Draughts) and also to America. As early as 1847 Checkers tournaments were begun. And then, of course, with the arrival of computers and computer technology, the game of Checkers went online.

Playing Checkers

As with most board games, it is easier and more fun to play Checkers live with an opponent rather than online. For amateur players like myself, it is almost impossible to beat the computer in a game of Checkers and that becomes very discouraging.

The rules for playing Checkers are very simple. The board is made up of 64 squares alternating red and black or, sometimes, black and white, and there are 12 pieces to each player - one side has black pieces (called checkers) and the other has white. Black always plays first so the two players can determine which one will have the blacks by tossing a coin.

The object of the game of Checkers is to eliminate all your opponent's pieces or to create a situation where your opponent cannot make a move. All the checkers move forward diagonally on the black squares. However, if you are able to get any of your checkers all the way to the other end of the board (your opponent's side), they are crowned as Kings. A King can move both forward and backward without any problems.

There are two types of moves in this game: capture moves and non-capture moves. A non-capture move is simply a diagonal move forward from one square to another. The capture move occurs when one player jumps his opponent's checker, thus eliminating that piece from the board. A capture move can only happen when the square behind the "victim" is open on the same diagonal. It sounds confusing, but it really isn't. A player may make multiple capture moves if, after one of those moves, he is in a position to make another. You must make a capture move if you are in a position to do so. If you have more than one capture move open for you, you may choose which is the more profitable.

That, in a nutshell, is how you play Checkers. Players tend to create their own versions. For example, I had a friend who said that once you create a King, the King can move diagonally over any number of squares, and not just one square at a time. This gives a King checker a lot more power and gives your opponent a really hard time.

Strategizing in Checkers

Checkers is one of those really straight-forward board games where there is not much room for strategizing. But there are a few things that are good to remember for optimum play:

-Try to maneuver your opponent into the position where he will be giving up two pieces in a capture move while you only give up one
-Try to keep the paths to your own King's row blocked to your opponent. Once he gets himself a King any plain checker is vulnerable to a capture.
-Try to move your checkers between your own and your opponents' in order to prevent losses.

I tried a few games of Checkers online and always lost so after awhile I gave up. The game of Checkers is great for children even as young as four or five. It gives them good training in logic and teaches them to be good losers. Of course, Checkers pros will say that there is a lot more to the game than I have explained here, but then you will have to read a book on Checkers strategy to find out.