Checkers & Draughts brings one of the world's most beloved board games to your iPhone and iPad — faithful to the rules you know, with a level of polish you won't expect from a free app.
Whether you played checkers as a child and want to revisit it, or you're picking up the game for the first time, Checkers & Draughts meets you where you are. There are no paywalls blocking the core experience. Open the app, choose a side, and play.
American Checkers, played right
The game follows the standard rules of American Checkers: pieces move diagonally on dark squares, capturing jumps are mandatory, and chain jumps can turn the tide of an entire game in a single move. When a piece reaches the far end of the board, it's crowned king — able to move in any diagonal direction and nearly impossible to pin down.
The AI opponent uses minimax search with alpha-beta pruning. At the highest difficulty setting, it will force you to think several moves ahead. At the easiest setting, it gives you room to breathe, find your footing, and enjoy the game.
A game that grows with you
Checkers & Draughts includes three built-in player profiles designed to match your experience level:
- Beginner. Easy AI, a one-row piece handicap for the CPU, and optional free moves — no mandatory jumps. The best starting point if this is your first time playing.
- Casual. Medium difficulty, no handicap. A balanced game for players who know the rules and want a real opponent without the pressure.
- Expert. Maximum AI depth, no aids. For players who want to be challenged, outplayed, and forced to improve.
You can also dial in exactly what you want from Settings: pick any of four difficulty levels, toggle the handicap on or off, choose whether mandatory jumps are enforced, and set both players to Human or Computer for two-player or AI-vs-AI modes.
Piece styles and board themes
Checkers & Draughts ships with five piece styles and ten board themes — all unlocked progressively as you play. Piece styles range from Classic red-and-white to Neon, Casino, Coin, and the premium Wood style with hand-crafted wooden pieces and gold crowns for kings.
Board themes go from the clean contrast of Classic and Tournament to the warm depth of Walnut and Marble. Themes unlock based on days played and games completed.
Apple Game Center leaderboards
The game is fully integrated with Apple Game Center. Every win counts on two global leaderboards: Least Moves to Win — how efficiently you defeat the AI — and Matches Played, for the players who just can't put the game down.
Free to play, with one honest upgrade
The full game — every rule, every difficulty level, every profile — is free. The optional premium upgrade removes all ads and unlocks all piece styles and board themes at once, in a single one-time purchase. No subscriptions, no consumable currencies, no artificial limits.
Weekend players get access to a discounted upgrade price on Saturdays and Sundays.
