Draughts Strategy for Beginners: 8 Simple Rules That Will Make You Hard to Beat

Draughts looks simple. Twelve pieces each, diagonal moves, jump to capture. You can learn the rules in two minutes.

Then you sit down with someone who's been playing for years and get wiped off the board in eight moves, wondering what just happened.

Here's a fun fact that explains it: in 2007, a computer program called Chinook "solved" checkers, proving that with perfect play from both sides, the game always ends in a draw. That means every single loss comes from a mistake. Make fewer mistakes than your opponent and you win.

These eight rules will cut out most of the mistakes beginners make.

1. Control the centre

Pieces in the middle of the board have more squares they can move to and more ways to support each other. Pieces on the edges have fewer options and can get trapped.

In your first few moves, aim to get pieces towards the centre squares. A strong centre gives you choices later, and choices win games.

2. Guard your back row

Your back row is the row your pieces start on. If an opponent's piece reaches it, they get a king, and kings are far more powerful because they move both forwards and backwards.

Beginners often move every back-row piece out early to "attack." Don't. Keeping two pieces at home for as long as possible makes it very hard for your opponent to get a king.

3. Move in pairs, not alone

A piece on its own can be jumped. A piece with a friend directly behind it diagonally usually can't, because there's no empty square to land on.

Advance your pieces in connected groups, like a little wall. If you look at the board and see one of your pieces standing alone in the middle of nowhere, it's probably about to be captured.

4. Use the forced-capture rule as a weapon

In standard draughts, if you can capture, you must capture. That rule is a trap waiting to be set.

Strong players deliberately offer one piece so that their opponent is forced to jump into a position where they get double-jumped straight back. Give one, take two. Once you start seeing these shots, the game changes completely.

The flip side: before every move, check whether you're about to be forced into one of these traps yourself.

5. Think about your opponent's reply before every move

This sounds obvious, but it's the habit that separates beginners from good players. Before you move, ask one question: "After this, what can they capture?"

If the answer is "something," look for another move. This one habit alone will win you more games than any fancy trick.

6. Edges are safe but slow

A piece on the side of the board can't be captured from that side, which makes edges feel safe. But edge pieces can only move in one direction and are easy to block in.

Use edges to protect a piece when you need to, not as a place to hide your whole army.

7. Trade when you're ahead

If you have more pieces than your opponent, swapping one for one makes your advantage bigger. Ten against nine is close. Three against two is usually a win.

When you're behind, do the opposite: avoid trades and look for tricky positions where forced captures can turn the game around.

8. Get a king, then use it

A king can retreat, chase and defend in both directions. In the endgame, a single king can hunt down several normal pieces.

Once you've got one, don't leave it sitting in the corner. Bring it back into the game, attack loose pieces from behind, and use it to escort your other pieces safely to the back row.

A note on "house rules"

If you learned on a cardboard board with bottle tops, you might have played with different rules, such as kings that slide across many squares in one move or men that capture backwards. Those variations exist all over the world. These tips work in most versions, and our online game uses the standard English draughts rules: men move and capture forwards, kings move one square in any diagonal direction, and captures are compulsory.

Put it into practice

The fastest way to improve is to play, lose, and work out why. Our Draughts Arena has a computer opponent with four levels, a Hint button that shows you a strong move, and an Undo button so you can try a different idea.

Start on Medium. When you can beat it without hints, try Hard. Expert looks seven moves ahead, so beating it is a genuine achievement.

👉 Play Draughts Arena free, or create a room and challenge a friend online. Winners earn Hype Points and climb the global leaderboard.