Checkers Without Forced Capture (Optional Capture)
In every official rule set described on this site, capturing is compulsory. Many people first learn checkers at home with a looser house rule: you may jump, but you do not have to. This site offers that as a casual switch called Optional capture, available for all six 8x8 rule sets. Here is exactly what it changes, what it leaves alone, and how it affects the way you should play.
Play it on this site
Open the menu (☰) and turn on Optional capture. It works with every 8x8 rule set in games against the computer and in two-player games on the same screen. It is not available in ranked games, the daily puzzle or international 10x10.
Rules
What changes
- On your turn you may either make any legal capture or make an ordinary move instead. The same applies to your opponent, including the computer.
- The capture-choice rules are lifted. In rule sets with a most-pieces rule or other priorities (Brazilian, Spanish, Italian and Czech), you may choose any capture.
- Skipping a capture carries no penalty: the piece you could have taken stays on the board, and none of your pieces is removed for it.
What stays the same
- Once you start a capture, you must finish the whole sequence with the same piece; you cannot stop halfway.
- How men and kings move and capture, how crowning works, when captured pieces are removed, and how the game is won or drawn all follow the rule set you selected.
- With American rules, for example, men still capture only forward and kings still move one square; with Russian rules, kings still fly and men still capture backward.
Why it is not an official rule
Compulsory capture is what gives checkers its tactics: because a jump must be taken, a player can force the opponent's reply with a sacrifice. Without it the game becomes slower and more positional. It is a pleasant way to learn or to play casually, but it is not part of any of the official rule sets on this site.
Differences from American checkers
| Rule | American | Optional capture |
|---|---|---|
| Board | 8x8 | 8x8 |
| Pieces per side | 12 | 12 |
| Capturing is compulsory | Yes | No |
| A started capture must be completed | Yes | Yes |
| Men capture backward | No | No |
| Kings fly (move any distance) | No | No |
| Men may capture kings | Yes | Yes |
| Must capture the most pieces | No | No |
| Further capture priority | Free choice | Free choice |
| Man reaches the far row during a capture | Crowned, move ends | Crowned, move ends |
| Captured pieces are removed | At once | At once |
Strategy tips
- Sacrifices no longer force anything. Your opponent can simply decline a bait, so play solid moves instead of traps.
- Still look for every capture on the board. Free pieces are just as valuable, and the computer may decline your offer when a quiet move is better.
- Think before you take. A capture that walks into a double jump can now be refused, so check what happens after each capture.
- Use the freedom to keep your formation. You no longer have to break your back row to make a forced jump.
- To practise for real games, switch the rule off again: forced captures are central to every official variant.
Frequently asked questions
Is skipping a capture allowed in official checkers?
No. In all of the official rule sets on this site capturing is compulsory. Optional capture is a casual house rule.
Can I stop a multi-jump halfway?
No. Even with Optional capture on, a capture you start must be completed.
Does the computer also skip captures?
It may. With the rule on, the computer considers both captures and ordinary moves and plays whichever it judges best.
Can I use Optional capture in ranked games?
No. Ranked games, the daily puzzle and international 10x10 always use compulsory capture.
Does Optional capture work with every variant?
With all six 8x8 rule sets: American, Russian, Brazilian, Spanish, Italian and Czech. It is not offered for international 10x10.
Is it easier than normal checkers?
It often feels easier for beginners, because you cannot be forced into a losing jump. It also removes most tactical tricks, so it is really a different game rather than simply an easier one.
Other rule sets
- American checkers8x8, forward-only men, one-square kings, free choice of captures.
- Russian draughts8x8, men capture backward, flying kings, a man crowned mid-capture keeps jumping.
- Brazilian draughts8x8, men capture backward, flying kings, you must capture the most pieces.
- Spanish draughts8x8, forward-only men, flying kings, capture the most pieces, then the most kings.
- Italian draughts8x8, one-square kings, men cannot capture kings, strict capture priorities.
- Czech draughts8x8, forward-only men, flying kings, a king must capture if it can.
- International draughts10x10, 20 pieces each, men capture backward, flying kings, capture the most pieces.
- All checkers rules and variantsCheckers Rules and Variants