Стратегия игры в шашки

Good checkers strategy comes down to a few habits: control the centre squares, keep your back row guarded so the opponent can't crown easily, move your pieces in groups rather than alone, trade pieces when you're ahead, and use the forced-capture rule to make your opponent jump into a worse position. The tips below assume American checkers rules. Each one is quick to practise against the computer in our free Checkers game.

If you're still learning how pieces move and capture, start with the checkers rules.

1. Fight for the centre

The four central dark squares, and the ones around them, are the most valuable on the board. A piece in the middle can go either way, supports its neighbours and blocks your opponent's advance. A piece on the side edge can only move in one direction.

Early in the game, aim your first few moves towards the centre. If your opponent takes it first, try to challenge it with a supported piece rather than going around the edge.

2. Keep your back row as long as you can

Your back row is your opponent's crowning row. Each piece you leave there blocks a landing square. Many strong players keep two of their back-row pieces at home for most of the game (in a standard setup, the pieces that guard the most crowning squares).

The moment your back row is empty, any enemy piece that breaks through gets a free crown. Don't use those pieces to attack until the middlegame is decided.

3. Move in groups, not alone

A lone piece in front of your lines is easy to trap or capture. Pieces that sit diagonally behind each other protect one another: an enemy can't jump the front piece because the square behind it is occupied.

Before each move, ask: "After this, is the piece I moved backed up?" If not, look for another move.

4. Use forced captures as a weapon

Because captures are compulsory, you can make your opponent jump. Offer one piece so that their capture lands their piece where you can jump back two, or where it opens a lane to your king row. This is called a shot.

A simple pattern: put a piece where it can be taken, with your second piece positioned so that after the forced jump, you get a double jump in return. One piece for two is a winning trade.

In our game, the status line says "you must capture" when a jump is forced. Watch for the computer's version too: if it offers you a free piece, look two moves ahead before you take it, though you'll have no choice if it's the only capture.

5. Trade when you're ahead, avoid trades when behind

Once you're a piece up, swap pieces one for one. Going from 8 against 7 to 3 against 2 makes your advantage much bigger in proportion, and the endgame becomes easier.

When you're behind, do the opposite: keep pieces on the board, avoid simplifying, and look for shots.

6. Get a king, then use it

Kings move backwards, so one king can attack pieces from behind and chase down stragglers. Once you're crowned:

• Bring the king back into the action rather than leaving it on the edge.
• Use it to attack pieces that can only move forward, so they can't escape.
• Two kings working together can trap a lone king in a corner far more easily than one.

7. Don't leave holes in your formation

Moving a piece can leave a gap that lets the opponent jump through, often in a double jump. Before every move, check the squares diagonally behind the piece you want to move. If moving it exposes a neighbour to a jump, pick a different move.

8. Count moves in the endgame

In the endgame, it often comes down to the move (also called the opposition): whoever has to move in a tight position may be forced to give way. If you can make a "waiting" move with a spare piece, you can force your opponent to step into a capture.

Also remember the draw rule in our game: if both sides move only kings for 40 moves each without a capture, the game ends in a draw. When you're ahead, keep making progress; when you're behind, a draw might be the best you can get.

9. Practise against harder levels and take moves back

Our free Checkers game has three levels:

• Easy makes random mistakes, which is good for testing a new trap.
• Medium plays sensible checkers and punishes loose pieces.
• Hard looks further ahead and will find most shots against you.

When you lose a piece, press Take back and look for what you missed. Your won and lost record is saved in your browser, so you can watch it improve.

If you like board games where position matters more than speed, the same habits (centre, edges, mobility) help in Reversi strategy too, and chess tips for beginners share the "move in groups" idea.

Put the checkers strategy to work

Pick Medium in the free Checkers game, keep two back-row pieces home and see how long it takes the computer to crown. No sign-up, nothing to install.