How to Play Draughts: Rules Simply Explained
Few games have held their place at the family table quite like draughts. It is simple enough for a child of six to grasp in minutes, yet sharp enough to keep two adults locked in quiet concentration for an evening.
The game has a long history in Britain. Draughts is referenced in English literature as early as the 16th century, and rule sets were being published here by the 18th century. The board you play on today is much the same as the one players puzzled over three hundred years ago.
If you are buying a set for a young player, it is worth knowing that our wooden sets are tested to UKCA and CE safety standards. Our Folding Draughts Set sits comfortably among our traditional games, and the pieces are made to be handled, dropped and enjoyed for years.
What You Need to Play Draughts
Draughts asks very little of you. A board, twenty-four pieces and an opponent are all you need to begin.
The standard draughts board is 8×8 squares, with 64 squares alternating between light and dark colours. It is the same grid used for chess, which is why so many sets serve both games. Our Wooden Chess Set includes draughts pieces for exactly this reason, so one box covers two of the oldest board games ever played.
Each side needs twelve pieces in a single colour, usually one set dark and one light. Traditional pieces are flat, round discs that stack neatly when a piece is crowned, which matters once the game develops.
If you want something that packs away between games, the Folding Draughts Set folds flat with the pieces stored inside, which suits a kitchen cupboard or a weekend away.
Beyond that, you need nothing at all. There are no cards to shuffle, no dice to lose and no timer to set. That simplicity is part of why the game has outlasted so many fashions, and why it still features among our board games for all ages.
A quiet table and a few spare minutes complete the list. Many families keep a set within reach precisely because a game can begin and end in the time it takes to boil the kettle, or stretch across a long, unhurried afternoon instead.
How to Set Up the Draughts Board
Setting up is quick once you have done it once or twice. Sit opposite your opponent with the board between you, turned so that each player has a light square in their nearest right-hand corner.
Draughts is played entirely on the dark squares. Each player begins with their twelve pieces placed on the dark squares of the three rows closest to them. That leaves two empty rows in the middle, which is where the early play happens.
Count your pieces as you place them. Twelve per side, filling every dark square across three rows, with no piece ever resting on a light square during the game.
It helps to agree who plays which colour before you start, as the darker pieces traditionally move first. Nothing of great consequence hangs on this, but settling it early avoids a muddle once the board is full.
Take a moment to look at the layout before the first move. The symmetry is deliberate, and recognising it helps a younger player understand that both sides begin on equal terms.
Teaching the set-up is a gentle way to introduce a child to turn-based play. It rewards patience and attention in the same way many of our wooden toys do, and it pairs well with the ideas in our guide to 30-minute independent play activities for children by age.
With the board set, you are ready to play. The rules that follow are few, and most players have them learned within a single game.
How to Play Draughts: The Basic Rules
The core of draughts is movement and capture, both along the diagonals. Pieces never move sideways, forwards in a straight line or backwards at this stage.
Ordinary pieces in English draughts may only move diagonally forward, one square at a time, until they are crowned as a king. You slide a piece into an empty dark square touching it at a corner, moving towards your opponent's side.
Capturing works by jumping. If an opponent's piece sits diagonally in front of yours with an empty square directly beyond it, you leap over it and remove it from the board. Several pieces can be captured in a single turn when more jumps are available.
In the standard game, if a capture is possible you must take it. This rule shapes much of the tactical thinking and should be agreed before you begin.
When one of your pieces reaches the far edge of the board, it is crowned. A second piece of the same colour is stacked on top to mark its new rank as a king.
A king in English draughts may move diagonally both forward and backward, which distinguishes it from an ordinary piece. This freedom makes kings powerful, and the race to crown one often decides the game.
A player wins by either capturing all of the opponent's pieces or leaving the opponent with no legal moves. A player with pieces still on the board but no way to move them has lost.
Those few rules are the whole game. Draughts sits easily alongside the screen-free habits we write about in 230 years of screen-free play.
How to Win at Draughts: Simple Tactics for Beginners
Once the rules are second nature, strategy begins to matter. A beginner can improve quickly by following a few plain principles.
Hold the centre. Pieces in the middle of the board control more squares and give you more options than pieces stranded on the edge, where fewer diagonals are open to them.
The edges, however, have one virtue. A piece on the side wall cannot be captured from that direction, so a careful player uses the edge as temporary shelter without becoming trapped there.
Think before you take. Because captures are usually compulsory, a clever opponent can offer a piece to force you into a jump that opens up two of yours. Look at what follows a capture before you make it.
Aim to crown a king, but not at any cost. Rushing a single piece forward while the rest sit undefended often ends badly. Advance in support, keeping your back row intact for as long as sensibly possible.
Your back row also guards against your opponent crowning their own king. Breaking it too early hands them the chance to promote, so move those pieces last where you can.
Count pieces as the game thins out. Being even one piece ahead in the endgame is often enough to force the win, so simple trades that leave you ahead are usually good trades.
Draughts rewards unhurried thought, which makes it a fine game for a wet afternoon or a quiet evening. It appears among the gentler options in our round-up of the best Christmas games for adults to play at home.
Draughts Variations Worth Knowing
The game you have learned here is English draughts, but it is one of several related games played across the world.
International draughts, also called Polish draughts, is played on a 10×10 board with 20 pieces per side, a larger variant than the English 8×8 game. The bigger board and extra pieces make for longer, more open games, and the rules governing kings differ too.
Many national versions exist, each with its own quirks of capture and movement. Learning the English game first gives you a firm footing before exploring any of them, since the core ideas of diagonal movement and compulsory capture carry across.
You can also change the feel of a game simply by changing the setting. A set taken into the garden on a warm day plays quite differently from one at the kitchen table, and the same love of simple, rule-based play runs through our outdoor games.
For younger players, draughts is a natural step towards other strategy games. Once a child enjoys planning two moves ahead, the wider world of our traditional games opens up to them.
Whichever variation you try, the pleasure is the same. Two players, a chequered board and a contest that turns on thought rather than chance. That balance is why the game has endured, and why it still earns its place beside the newer titles in our board games.
If you are weighing up play against passive entertainment for children, our look at audio learning versus play is worth a read.
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Frequently Asked Questions About How To Play Drafts
How do you play draughts?
Draughts is a two-player strategy board game played on an 8×8 board of 64 alternating light and dark squares. Each player starts with 12 pieces arranged on the dark squares of their three nearest rows. Players take turns moving pieces diagonally forward, one square at a time. Capturing an opponent's piece is done by jumping over it diagonally into the empty square beyond. A player wins by capturing all the opponent's pieces or leaving them with no legal moves. The game rewards forward planning and tactical thinking.
What are the rules of draughts?
In English draughts, pieces move diagonally forward one square at a time on dark squares only. If an opponent's piece sits on an adjacent diagonal with an empty square beyond, you must jump over it to capture it. Multiple captures in a single turn are allowed where possible. When a piece reaches the opponent's back row, it is crowned a king and may then move diagonally both forward and backward. A player loses when all their pieces are captured or they have no legal moves remaining.
How many players do you need to play draughts?
Draughts is a two-player game. One player controls the lighter-coloured pieces and the other controls the darker-coloured pieces. Each player sits on opposite sides of the board and takes alternate turns throughout the game. There is no team or partnership variant in standard English draughts — it is strictly a head-to-head contest between two individuals. This straightforward two-player format makes draughts easy to pick up and play at any time, requiring no additional players or equipment beyond the board and pieces.
How do you set up a draughts board?
Place the 8×8 board so that each player has a dark square in the bottom-left corner. Each player arranges their 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three rows closest to them. This means pieces occupy rows one, two, and three for one player, and rows six, seven, and eight for the other. The two middle rows of the board remain empty at the start of play. Pieces are never placed on light-coloured squares — all movement and play takes place exclusively on the dark squares throughout the game.
What happens when a piece reaches the other side in draughts?
When a piece reaches the far edge of the board — the opponent's back row — it is crowned and becomes a king. In practice, a second piece is typically placed on top to mark it as a king. A king gains the significant advantage of being able to move diagonally both forward and backward, unlike an ordinary piece which may only move forward. This greater mobility makes kings considerably more powerful and is a key strategic goal during play in English draughts.
Can you jump backwards in draughts?
In English draughts, ordinary pieces may only move and capture diagonally forward — jumping backwards is not permitted for standard pieces. However, once a piece is crowned as a king, it may move and capture diagonally in any direction, including backwards. This distinction is an important strategic consideration, as it means uncrowned pieces are vulnerable to attack from behind. In International draughts, played on a 10×10 board with 20 pieces per side, the rules around movement and captures differ and are more complex than the English game.
How do you win at draughts?
There are two ways to win a game of English draughts. The first is to capture every one of your opponent's pieces by jumping over them diagonally. The second is to manoeuvre your pieces so that your opponent has no legal moves remaining on their turn, leaving them completely blocked. If neither player can achieve this, the game may be declared a draw. Winning consistently requires forward planning, controlling the centre of the board, and working to promote pieces to kings while limiting your opponent's mobility.
What is the difference between draughts and checkers?
Draughts and checkers refer to the same fundamental game — "checkers" is the name commonly used in North America, while "draughts" is the standard British term. The core rules of English draughts and American checkers are essentially identical: an 8×8 board, 12 pieces per player, diagonal movement on dark squares, and crowning at the back row. Differences emerge in regional variants — for example, International draughts (also called Polish draughts) is governed by the Fédération Mondiale du Jeu de Dames and is played on a 10×10 board with 20 pieces per side.
How many pieces do you have in draughts?
In English draughts, each player begins the game with 12 pieces, giving 24 pieces in total on the board at the start of play. These are arranged on the dark squares of the three rows nearest to each player. Pieces are removed from the board when captured by an opponent. For those interested in a larger variant, International draughts — also known as Polish draughts and governed by the Fédération Mondiale du Jeu de Dames — is played on a 10×10 board with 20 pieces per side, totalling 40 pieces at the start.
What age is draughts suitable for?
Draughts is widely considered suitable for children from around six years of age, as the rules are straightforward and easy to learn after a few practice games. The diagonal movement of pieces and the goal of capturing opponents provides a gentle introduction to strategic thinking. As players grow older, draughts rewards deeper planning and positional awareness, making it genuinely engaging for adults too. The game has been played in Britain since at least the 16th century, with published rule sets appearing by the 18th century, reflecting its enduring, broad appeal across generations.