Checkers (or Draughts) is a strategy board game for two players which involves diagonal moves of uniform game pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over opponent pieces. Although often seen as “simpler” than chess, it is a game of extreme precision and depth.
Concepts & Symbolism
Forced Choice (The Lovers Parallel)
The defining rule of Checkers is the Forced Capture. If you can jump, you MUST jump.
- This parallels The Lovers (Choice/Duality) and Justice (Law).
- The game removes the choice of inaction, forcing the player into a path determined by the board’s state. Strategy comes from setting up “forced” situations that benefit you.
The Leap of Transformation
When a piece reaches the opposite end, it is “Kinged”—gaining the ability to move backward.
- This mirrors the Death card—transformation and rebirth into a more powerful form.
- It also parallels the Chess Pawn’s journey, but with a more rhythmic, hopping progression.
Basic Rules
- Objective: Capture all of the opponent’s pieces or block them so they cannot move.
- Movement: Pieces move diagonally forward one square at a time.
- Capture: Jump over an adjacent opponent’s piece to an empty square behind it. Multiple jumps are mandatory if possible.
- Kings: Reaching the last row turns a piece into a King, allowing backward movement.
Skill Progression
- The Hopper (Beginner): Focuses on making as many captures as possible without considering where the piece lands.
- The Strategist (Intermediate): Understanding the “Center Control” and the importance of the “Double Corner.” Learning how to sacrifice a piece to force the opponent into a triple-jump loss.
- The Grandmaster (Advanced): Checkers is a “solved” game. At the highest levels, play is about memorizing deep theoretical lines and maintaining absolute precision in the endgame, where a single square’s difference determines the win.
TIP
Checkers is a lesson in Calculated Sacrifices. Often, giving up one or two pieces is the only way to “bridge” into the opponent’s territory and achieve a King.