Looking for a quick puzzle game? Checkers runs in the browser and needs no download. The core of it is chess & checkers. You can jump in for two minutes or lose an hour to it; either works.
About Checkers
Move your piece one step diagonally forward, to an adjacent unoccupied square. Capture opponent’s piece by jumping over it. If a piece reaches the other end, it is crowned and can move in both directions. If possible, you must jump one or more consecutive steps, by jumping between and capture several pieces. You win when you have captured all your opponent’s pieces.
How to play Checkers
Getting started takes about ten seconds. Keep a hand on the arrow keys / WASD; everything else is listed in the controls table. It fills the player in landscape, so use the fullscreen button on desktop and turn your phone sideways on mobile. The second run is always better than the first — that is the whole learning curve.
Controls
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Mouse | Navigate menus and interact |
| Arrow keys / WASD | Move |
| Spacebar | Primary action |
On mobile: Tap and swipe on screen. Turn your phone sideways — this game is designed for landscape and fills a horizontal screen.
Why it is worth playing
What keeps Checkers worth returning to is how quickly a single round resolves. It respects your time — you are never more than a click from another attempt. It earns the replay rather than demanding it.
At a glance
- Free to play with no account required
- Runs in the browser — nothing to download or install
- Landscape layout with fullscreen support
- Keyboard and mouse on desktop, full touch support on mobile.
- Chess & Checkers gameplay — The oldest strategy games there are
- Added to our catalogue from a 2023 release
Frequently asked questions
Is Checkers free to play?
Yes, entirely free. Checkers costs nothing to play, asks for no card and has no paid tier hiding behind it.
Do I need to download or install anything?
No download, no installer, no plugin. Checkers is HTML5, so the browser plays it directly.
Can I play Checkers on my phone?
It works on phones and tablets. Tap and swipe on screen. Turn your phone sideways — this game is designed for landscape and fills a horizontal screen.
What are the controls for Checkers?
Keyboard and mouse on desktop, full touch support on mobile. Mouse — navigate menus and interact; Arrow keys / WASD — move; Spacebar — primary action.
Can I play Checkers fullscreen?
Yes — the button in the top-right corner of the player goes fullscreen, and Escape returns you to the page.
What kind of game is Checkers?
Checkers is a puzzle game built around chess & checkers. If that is the sort of thing you enjoy, the related games further down the page are picked using the same tags.
