Board & classics
Play Draughts online
Capturing is compulsory, and if you can chain jumps you must. A piece reaching the far row becomes a king and then moves along the whole diagonal. The computer works out capture chains in full.
Play Draughts nowFree · no download · no sign-up
At a glance
- Category
- Board & classics
- Controls
- mouse or finger
- Price
- free
- Sign-up
- not required
Yes. Draughts is played against the computer here, across several strengths from easy to very strong. A win also pays chips into your account.
Where Draughts comes from
Draughts arose around 1100 in southern France, when someone put the pieces of the Arab game alquerque on a chessboard and adopted the movement of the chess queen – hence the German name Dame. Compulsory capture was added in the 16th century and became obligatory in France as jeu forcé. In 2007 Jonathan Schaeffer's team proved that draughts is a draw with perfect play on both sides.
How it works
You move diagonally on the dark squares only. Plain pieces move forward but capture in every direction.
Capturing is mandatory – and if several chains are possible you must take the longest. Red dots mark captures, green ones plain moves.
Reach the far rank and your piece becomes a king that may slide over any number of free squares. Run out of moves and you lose.
Three tips for better results
- 1Use the forced capture: one sacrificed piece can start a chain that wins two back.
- 2Keep your back row intact as long as you can – it stops the opponent from crowning.
- 3Pieces on the edge cannot be captured, but they also advance more slowly.
Frequently asked questions
Is Draughts free to play?
Yes. Draughts runs straight in your browser, costs nothing and needs no installation. There is no paywall – the chips in the game are play money and cannot be bought. The site is funded by advertising, which appears only if you agree to it.
Do I need an account to play Draughts?
No. The home page offers “play now without an account” – that starts you straight away and your progress stays in this browser. An account is only worth it if you want the same progress on several devices; name and PIN are enough, and we never ask for an email address. A guest profile can be turned into an account at any time without losing anything.
How do you play Draughts?
You move diagonally on the dark squares only. Plain pieces move forward but capture in every direction.
Where does Draughts come from?
Draughts arose around 1100 in southern France, when someone put the pieces of the Arab game alquerque on a chessboard and adopted the movement of the chess queen – hence the German name Dame. Compulsory capture was added in the 16th century and became obligatory in France as jeu forcé. In 2007 Jonathan Schaeffer's team proved that draughts is a draw with perfect play on both sides.
Does Draughts work on a phone?
The site adapts to the screen size, and anything you can click can also be tapped. Games controlled with arrow keys do need a keyboard, though.
Do I have to download anything to play Draughts?
No. Draughts runs in the browser – on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iPhone alike. There is no app, no plugin and nothing to install.
Can I play Draughts against the computer?
Yes. Draughts is played against the computer here, across several strengths from easy to very strong. A win also pays chips into your account.
Does Draughts work without an internet connection?
The page has to load once; after that the game itself runs entirely in your browser and needs no connection. If you use an account, your progress syncs again as soon as you are back online.
Also known as
These are the terms people use to look for Draughts.
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