The history of checkers
Checkers, or draughts in much of the world, has changed shape many times as it moved between countries and centuries. Here is where it came from, how its rules settled, and the national variants still played today, including the American checkers we play on PlayFaceToFace.
Ancient claims and Alquerque
Popular accounts often trace checkers back thousands of years to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, but those claims don't hold up well. The ancient boards usually cited belonged to other games, and the true origins of checkers are uncertain.
A more likely ancestor is Alquerque, a game played on a 5×5 grid of intersecting lines. The Moors brought it to Spain, and a Spanish book of games from 1283, the Libro de los juegos, describes it: twelve pieces a side, moves along the lines to the next point, and captures by jumping, sometimes several in one turn.
From Alquerque to the 8×8 board
The big change came when the game moved onto the chessboard. European players adopted the checkered board and allowed only diagonal moves, and this game was already being played around 1100, probably in the south of France. It is the line that led to English draughts and American checkers.
Crowning was in use by the 13th century. A French chronicle by Philippe Mouskés mentions it in 1243, when the game was called fierges, the name then used for the chess queen. The pieces later became known as dames, after the chess queen's newer name. Promotion is still one of the defining rules of checkers.
Rules settle across Europe
Between 1300 and 1600 European players tried many rule combinations, arguing over compulsory capture, backward capture and the powers of a crowned piece. The rule forcing a player to capture whenever possible was introduced in France. That forced-capture game, jeu forcé, was close to modern American checkers, while the optional-capture game, le jeu plaisant de dames, led toward international draughts.
The game is called draughts in Britain. In most other European languages its name means ladies, as in dames or damas, and a crowned piece shares its name with the chess queen. Each region later grew its own rule changes, and many of them survive.
The earliest book in English about the game, by the mathematician William Payne, appeared in 1756. Today American checkers, also called English draughts, is the most popular form in English-speaking countries.
Champions, theory and a solved game
Checkers has a long competitive history. The world championship in English draughts dates to the 1840s. James Wyllie, known as the Herd Laddie, and Robert Martins were among the early champions, and Newell Banks among those who followed.
Work on the proof began in 1989, and it relied on an endgame database of about 39 trillion positions with ten or fewer pieces. Solving the game on paper hasn't made it easy for people. Over a real board, checkers is as hard as ever.
Checkers variants around the world
Modern checkers comes in many regional versions. Knowing them makes it easier to see what each rule in your own game is doing.
| Variant | Board | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|
| American checkers (English draughts) | 8×8 | Men move forward only. Kings move one square in any diagonal direction. Captures and multi-jumps are mandatory. This is the version on PlayFaceToFace. |
| International draughts | 10×10 | Flying kings that cross several squares. Men may capture backward. Detailed rules on which capture must be taken. |
| Russian draughts | 8×8 | Men can capture backward. A man crowned during a capture is promoted at once. Kings fly across several squares. |
| Brazilian draughts | 8×8 | Rules very close to international draughts, including flying kings, on the smaller board. |
| Turkish draughts | 8×8 | Pieces move and capture horizontally and vertically, never diagonally. Men are promoted on the back row. |
| Canadian checkers | 12×12 | The largest official variant, with 30 pieces each, flying kings and long capture sequences. |
American checkers is played most in the United States, the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries. International draughts is popular in Europe and Africa, and many players consider it the most tactical variant, since the bigger board adds strategic depth. Russian draughts plays fast and favours aggressive captures. Flying kings on a small board make Brazilian draughts extremely sharp. Turkish draughts feels like a different game, closer to a cross between checkers and the rook moves of chess. Canadian checkers, with its huge board, produces very long, deep games.
Checkers in schools, online and in culture
Checkers is still one of the best-known board games anywhere. Schools use it to teach critical thinking, spatial reasoning, planning and decision-making. It is simple enough for children and deep enough to keep improving at.
Online play has grown fast, thanks to quick matchmaking, real-time games and the chance to play with friends far away. On PlayFaceToFace the traditional face-to-face game moves onto a screen.
The game turns up in literature, film, art, folk games and cultural traditions, often as a shorthand for strategy, conflict and balance.
Why the variants matter for your game
Playing other versions sharpens your American checkers. Russian draughts teaches backward captures that change middlegame tactics. Flying-king variants train your sense of diagonal control and long-range planning.
Coming back to American checkers, you notice how its simpler rules reward compact formations, predictable capture sequences and clear king endgames. That makes it a good game for beginners and improving players, with plenty left for experts. The checkers rules cover the version we play in full.
Why checkers has lasted
The rules are few, and the strategy runs deep. Games are quick, usually 5 to 20 minutes. Children, adults and older players all enjoy it, tournaments and championships still run worldwide, and the pace suits online play.
The story runs from Alquerque to a computer proof that the game is a draw. Along the way checkers has crossed cultures and split into national versions, and millions still play it. Knowing where it came from adds something to every game, casual or competitive.
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