Checkers

Checkers and draughts are the same game

If you learned it in Australia you probably learned it as draughts. If you learned it from an American book or app it was checkers. The names split along national lines rather than along any difference in play. The standard game uses the same eight by eight board a chess set uses, twelve discs a side, and movement restricted to the dark squares.

Discs move one square diagonally forward. A capture is made by jumping an opposing disc into the empty square beyond it, and where a further jump is available from the landing square it is taken in the same turn. A disc that reaches the far row is crowned, usually by stacking a captured disc on top of it, and a crowned king may then move and capture backwards as well as forwards. Play ends when one side has no discs left or no legal move.

International draughts, played on a ten by ten board with twenty discs a side, is a separate game with its own federation and its own literature. Everything on this page is the eight by eight game.

What separates one checkers set from another

The rules are settled, so a set is judged on the board and the discs. Board size decides how comfortable the game is to play and how much table it takes. Disc size has to suit the squares: a disc that fills its square leaves nothing to grip, and one that rattles around inside it looks unfinished. Everything after that is finish, and finish is what decides whether a set stays out on a side table between games or goes back in a cupboard.

Timber or a modern finish

The Dal Rossi Checkers Set is offered two ways. The timber version is a gloss finished wooden board measuring 30 x 45cm with wooden discs, which is what most buyers picture when they think of a checkers set. The carbon fibre version puts the same game on a carbon fibre effect surface with black and white disc pieces, for a set that reads contemporary rather than traditional. They play identically. The choice is how you want it to look between games.

Chinese Checkers is a different game

Chinese Checkers shares a word with checkers and nothing else. It is played on a six pointed star rather than a chequered square, it uses pegs or marbles rather than discs, it takes two to six players rather than two, and it has no captures at all. The object is to move your own ten pegs across the star into the opposite triangle, hopping over any peg, yours or anyone else's, and chaining those hops where the board allows it. It is not Chinese either: it is a German variant of Halma, marketed under the name it still carries.

Both formats sit here. The Dal Rossi 37cm Chinese Checkers Set is the tabletop version, a wooden star board with coloured pegs for two to six players. The Mega Chinese Checkers is a 100cm metal board that mounts on a wall and plays vertically, an Archtwain design made to order rather than held in stock, with mounting hardware supplied separately. It can be played flat on a table as well. Both are also listed in the Chinese Checkers collection, and the wall format sits with the rest of the wall games.

Which one to buy

• For two players who want the classic game, the timber Dal Rossi set is the straightforward answer, with the carbon fibre version there for a room that suits it better.
• For a family or a mixed age group, Chinese Checkers takes up to six players and is quicker to teach to children.
• For a room where the game should be visible rather than stored, the wall format does both jobs at once and never needs setting up.

The Dal Rossi sets are Australian stock with 100 day free returns and a 12 month warranty. The wall game is made to order, so ask our team for current lead times before planning around a date. Other classic games sit in traditional games.

Frequently asked questions

Is checkers the same as draughts?

Yes. Draughts is the British and Australian name, checkers is the American name, and the standard eight by eight game is identical under both.

How many discs does each player start with?

Twelve a side, set out on the dark squares of the three rows nearest each player. The centre two rows start empty.

Can a king move backwards?

Yes. That is the whole point of being crowned. An uncrowned disc moves and captures forwards only; a king does both in either direction.

Is Chinese Checkers related to checkers?

No. It is a different game on a different board with different pieces and no captures. The shared word is a marketing accident rather than a family resemblance.

How many players does Chinese Checkers take?

Two to six. The star board gives six starting triangles, so it works for six individuals or three pairs, which is why it holds up at a family table better than a two player game.

Can the wall game be played on a table?

Yes. It is designed to mount on a wall and stay there, but it plays flat on a table if you would rather. Mounting hardware is not included.