How many checkers are in a game

Reinfeld does not mention forced jumps in his rules, however, elsewhere in the book, p. A piece cannot jump over empty squares. Although no one actually says so, it is strongly implied that single pieces cannot jump backwards. A king is allowed to move or jump in any of the four diagonal directions within the limits of the board. A player can also win if the other player resigns or forfeits the game as a result of a violation of the rules.

A game is declared a draw when neither player can force a win. Pask, p. Hopper, p. These judgments are to be made by a referee. Pike, p. After it is decided who makes the first move, neither player is allowed to leave the board without the permission from the other player. It turns out, there are a mere ,,,,,, combinations quintillion that can be made over the course of a game of checkers. Researchers from the University of Alberta's Computer Science department should know, they tried them all out.

Jonathan Schaeffer and his colleagues started their work 18 years ago with the development of a checkers simulation called Chinook. It will also make it easier for you to capture any opposing pieces that approach your back row. Know when to sacrifice your pieces. If you're ahead in the game, or even dead even with your opponent, don't be afraid to sacrifice a piece if it means you'll be able to capture your opponent's piece back or gain a significant positional advantage.

Keep the forward momentum going. The king is much more valuable than a regular checker. Don't trade pieces if it will make it easier for your opponent to king a piece. Trade one for two. Give up one of your pieces if it means you can capture two of your opponent's pieces in return. Focus on the kings. You should focus on crowning as many of your pieces as possible, as well as on keeping your opponent from crowning his pieces.

This should be a priority as you advance in the game. However, don't crown your pieces if it means losing several checkers on the way. Be strategic about knowing when to crown your piece. Block your opponent. Try to keep his active pieces blocked if you can, so he will be forced to play with pieces such as those in the back row.

If all your opponent's pieces are blocked and cannot move, then he will lose. Keep practicing. Though there's no foolproof way to win at checkers every single time. The more you play, the more you'll understand how to strategize. If you want to be a checkers expert, you should try to play as much as you can to improve your game.

This will challenge you and will force you to pick up your game. Watch an expert. Watch an expert checkers player, either in person or on television. You'll pick up a lot of pointers just by watching an expert maneuver their pieces around the board. Pay attention to what the expert does in certain situations.

Some checkers experts have written about their strategies and reading about them may help you to improve your game. Sample Checkers Strategies. Not Helpful 19 Helpful The same way you capture any other checker. It's just more tricky since the king has more flexibility to move around, and you have to be careful so it doesn't capture you first.

Think carefully about your moves. Not Helpful 22 Helpful Traditionally, no. The kings can still move only 1 space, but the difference between kings and regular checkers is that kings can move in any direction.

Not Helpful 16 Helpful Jumping your own chips is an illegal move. Always jump the opposite color chip, never the same color. Not Helpful 34 Helpful Yes, although it is very tricky. Do make sure your own pieces are not captured first.

Not Helpful 14 Helpful You do not have to move the checkers on the back line, and this may be used as a defensive tactic to prevent your opponent from getting "kinged. Not Helpful 24 Helpful Only the king can be moved backwards, but a piece can be moved as many times as you need. When it reaches the other side of the board, can only be moved sideways, besides the king. Not Helpful 27 Helpful This game was so well loved in the ancient world it spread to the western world where it was played for thousands of years.

In France, around the year , the idea of playing checkers on a chess board was born. In doing so, the number of pieces expanded to 12 per side of the board.