Play Checkers Online For Fun

History

For those who are looking for an online skill game to play, checkers is a great option. Checkers history is not very clear, though. There are some historians who think that it comes from chess and started in the Middle Ages. Others believe that it might have been played as early as 1600 B.C. in Egypt. However, scientific checkers is somewhat modern and began with a book written by William Payne in 1756. This book introduced the game of draughts, which is what the English call checkers. The term draughts refers to the pieces that are used.

Versions

There are several versions in existence based on what country you are in. During the 16th century, Spanish draughts used similar rules that are found in America today. In this version the king could move diagonally in any distance. Germans play by allowing normal pieces to move forward and backwards as is currently allowed for modern kings and not for regular pieces in most options. The kings can then move any number of squares forward and back. Polish draughts offers a board with 100 squares and each contender is given 20 men. This is also a popular form in France. The most popular type is still English draughts. The governing body for checkers is the American Checker Federation in the United States.

While the history is a bit scattered, the basic rules remain the same. It is played with 2 people on a board that has 64 squares that alternate in color. Each person is given 12 disks. The main objective is to move these disks diagonally in a way to capture the men from your opponent. You also want to try and block your opponent's progress to the other side of the board. This is a rather simple game with few rules and because of this it is rather popular among children. However, it can be as complicated as chess when playing at an expert level. This is a fun game that can be played by anyone and is something many will enjoy.