Giant CheckersRules Card

What you need

• A giant checkerboard: a roll-out mat or interlocking foam tiles with 64 squares (8 by 8)
• 24 oversized pieces, 12 of each color, usually red and black
• A flat patch of lawn, patio, or deck big enough for the board plus room to walk around it
• Two players, or two teams taking turns calling the moves
• A breeze-free spot, since a light mat can shift on grass

Set it up

Giant checkers has no throwing distance. What matters is floor space. A large roll-out board runs roughly 5 to 6 ft on a side, so give yourself about 6 by 6 ft total plus walking room around the edges, since you move pieces by reaching or stepping in. A flat patio or deck keeps the board from wrinkling, and on grass pick a level, mowed spot so the mat lies flat and pieces sit square on their squares.

Scoring

• There is no point scoring in checkers; you win by capturing or blocking all of your opponent's pieces
• Captures are mandatory; continue an available jump sequence with the same piece unless it has just reached the king row.
• Crown a regular piece when it reaches the far row, then end its turn, including during a jump sequence.
• Kings move one diagonal square, or capture by jumping, forward or backward.
• A player who cannot make any legal move loses the game
• Players may agree a draw when neither can make progress; having no legal move is a loss.

How to play

1. Set up the board. Lay the board so each player has a dark square in their near-left corner. Place your 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three rows closest to you. Both players use only the dark squares for the whole game.
2. Move diagonally forward. Players alternate turns, and one move means sliding a single piece one square diagonally forward to an empty dark square. Regular pieces, the ones that are not yet kings, can only move forward, never backward or sideways.
3. Jump to capture. Captures are mandatory in American checkers. Jump an adjacent opposing piece diagonally forward into the empty square beyond and remove it. If several captures are available, choose one legal route.
4. Chain your jumps. Continue capturing with the same piece while another jump is available. If a regular piece reaches the king row during a capture, crown it and end the turn; it cannot continue backward on that turn.
5. King me. A regular piece reaching the far row becomes a king and its turn ends. On later turns a king can move one square diagonally forward or backward, or capture in either direction with a jump.
6. Win the game. You win when your opponent cannot make a legal move, either because all of their pieces have been captured or because every remaining piece is blocked. If neither side can make progress, players can agree to a draw.