Nimble Axe
You play the blue pieces and move first. Tap one of your pieces to see where it can go, then tap a highlighted square. Men move diagonally forward; when a jump is available you must take it, and a single move can chain several jumps at once. Reach the far row to crown a king, which can move and jump in every direction. Clear the board — or leave the computer with no moves — to win. Wins are saved on this device.
- You Blue
- Status Press Start
- Wins 0
How to play Checkers
Quick start
- Press Start. You play the blue pieces and you always move first.
- Tap one of your pieces. Every square it can legally reach lights up.
- Tap a lit square to move there. Pieces move diagonally forward, one square at a time.
- If a capture is available anywhere, the game will only offer captures — they are compulsory.
- Reach the far row to be crowned a king, which may then move and jump backwards as well.
How it works
Controls
- Mouse / trackpad
- Click a piece to select it, then click a highlighted square to move. Clicking the same piece again deselects it.
- Touch
- Exactly the same as the mouse: tap to select, tap a highlighted square to move.
- Keyboard
- Every square is a real button, so Tab moves between them and Enter or Space activates one. Each square announces what it holds — for example "your king" or "empty dark square".
Tips
- A multi-jump can be taken one hop at a time. Click the middle landing square to capture just the first piece; the piece stays selected and you must finish the run before the computer replies.
- Landing on the back row crowns the piece and ends your turn immediately, even if the new king could have jumped again. Sometimes it is worth taking a shorter capture that does not promote.
- The computer values a king at 175 and a plain piece at 100, and it adds a small bonus for pieces that have advanced. Trading evenly while you are ahead on kings is good for you.
- It searches six half-moves ahead, so it will see a two-move trap but not always a four-move one. Build threats that only pay off later.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead does the computer look?
Six plies — that is six half-moves, or three of yours and three of its own — using minimax with alpha-beta pruning.
Do I have to capture when I can?
Yes. Captures are compulsory. Whenever any of your pieces can jump, the game offers jumps and nothing else, which is the standard rule.
Can I play a double jump one square at a time?
Yes. Every landing square along a capture path is clickable. Click the middle one and only the first piece is taken; your piece then stays selected and the run has to be finished before the turn passes.
What happens when my piece reaches the far row?
It is crowned a king and your turn ends there, even if another jump appears to be available. A newly crowned king starts jumping again on your next turn, not this one.
Which colour am I?
Blue, starting at the bottom and moving up the board. The computer plays the other colour and moves down.
Does the computer play the same game every time?
No. When several moves score within a point of each other it picks one of them at random, so the same opening will not always get the same reply.
How do I win?
By leaving the computer with no legal move, which happens when you have captured all its pieces or blocked every one of them. The reverse ends the game the other way.
Are my wins saved anywhere?
Your win count is stored in this browser's local storage on this device. It is never sent anywhere, and clearing your browser data resets it to zero.
