# Checkers

> Jump, crown and climb the bot ladder.

Jump pieces, crown kings and out-think eight named bots. Climb the ladder over weeks, solve a new daily puzzle, or take turns with a friend on one screen.

- Play: https://sidekickarcade.com/play/checkers/ (in the browser, phone or computer, free, no sign-up)
- Neighborhood: [Tabletop Terrace](https://sidekickarcade.com/category/tabletop/index.md)
- Controls: Tap, click or arrow keys
- Best on: portrait screens
- Coins for goals: 1 per 1 stars, up to 8 a run

## How to play

1. Tap or click a piece, then the square it moves to. You can also drag a piece onto its square. On a keyboard, the arrows move a cursor and Enter picks and places.
2. Jumps are forced: when you can take a piece, you must. Keep jumping in one move while you can. A man that reaches the far row becomes a king, and its move ends there.
3. Beat the bots on the ladder to open the next one. A win earns stars, one for each rung of the bot you beat. A loss starts your win streak over.
4. Play a friend on one screen, or solve today's puzzle: find the winning move, then the next one, to the end of the line. A new puzzle comes at midnight UTC.

## Tips

- Check every jump before you move. When you can take a piece you must, so a jump can set up the next one.
- Keep your back row home as long as you can. A piece that reaches the far row becomes a king.
- Trade pieces when you are ahead. With fewer pieces on the board, a king is harder to stop.
- Look for a double jump before every move: two pieces can fall to one move.

## Questions

### Is it free?

Yes. It's free to play in your browser, with no download and no sign-up. Coins you earn are for fun and can never be bought.

### Can two people play?

Yes. Choose 2 players and take turns on the same phone, tablet or computer.

### Can I play against the computer?

Yes. Eight bots, from Nudge, who is just starting out, to Sable at the top of the ladder. Each one opens after you beat the last.

### Which rules does it use?

American checkers. Jumps are forced. Men move and jump forward only, and kings move and jump in every diagonal direction. A man that reaches the far row becomes a king, and its move ends there. A game is a draw after a position repeats three times, or 40 moves each with no capture.

### Is there a daily puzzle?

Yes. Every day at midnight UTC there is a new puzzle: a position with a forced win. Find the winning move at each of your turns to solve it and keep your streak going.

### Can I play on a phone or tablet?

Yes. It's built for touch first and plays the same on a phone, a tablet, a Chromebook or a computer.

## Achievements

- **First move** (bronze, 10 coins): Finish your first game.
- **First win** (bronze, 10 coins): Beat a bot on the ladder.
- **Double jump** (bronze, 10 coins): Take two pieces in one move.
- **Crowned** (bronze, 10 coins): Make your first king.
- **Puzzle solver** (bronze, 10 coins): Solve a daily puzzle.
- **Regular** (bronze, 10 coins): Play 10 games.
- **Mabel's match** (silver, 25 coins): Beat Mabel, the second bot.
- **Triple jump** (silver, 25 coins): Take three pieces in one move.
- **Royal court** (silver, 25 coins): Crown two kings in one game.
- **On a roll** (silver, 25 coins): Win 5 games in a row against the bots.
- **Puzzle week** (silver, 25 coins): Solve the daily puzzle 7 days in a row.
- **Table regular** (silver, 25 coins): Play 50 games.
- **Winner** (silver, 25 coins): Win 25 games against the bots.
- **Fair fight** (silver, 25 coins): Draw 5 games against the bots.
- **Sharp eye** (silver, 25 coins): Take 200 pieces against the bots.
- **Halfway up** (gold, 60 coins): Beat Juniper, the fourth bot.
- **Corwin's pride** (gold, 60 coins): Beat Corwin, the sixth bot.
- **Quad jump** (gold, 60 coins): Take four pieces in one move.
- **Unbeaten** (gold, 60 coins): Win 15 games in a row against the bots.
- **Puzzle month** (gold, 60 coins): Solve the daily puzzle 30 days in a row.
- **Century** (gold, 60 coins): Win 100 games against the bots.
- **Clean sweep** (gold, 60 coins): Beat every bot at least once.
- **Hard hitter** (gold, 60 coins): Win 20 games against Corwin, Orla or Sable.
- **Old hand** (gold, 60 coins): Play 200 games.
- **Secret achievement** (gold, 60 coins): Keep playing to find it.
- **Board boss** (diamond, 150 coins): Beat Sable, the top bot. Earns the title "Board Boss".
- **Crown keeper** (diamond, 150 coins): Beat Sable 10 times. Earns the title "Crown Keeper".
- **Court regular** (diamond, 150 coins): Solve the daily puzzle 100 days in a row. Earns the title "Court Regular".

## More to play

- [Four in a Row](https://sidekickarcade.com/play/four-in-a-row/index.md): Drop discs to make four in a row. (Tabletop Terrace)
- [Solitaire](https://sidekickarcade.com/play/solitaire/index.md): The classic one-player card game. (Card Café)
- [Daily Sudoku](https://sidekickarcade.com/play/daily-sudoku/index.md): A fresh nine-by-nine number puzzle every day. (Puzzle Park)