Checkers / Draughts

Checkers — called draughts in most of the world — descends from board games played thousands of years ago, taking its modern form in medieval France when an older game called alquerque was moved onto the chessboard. It also holds a unique place in computing history: in 2007, after nearly two decades of computation, the game was solved — perfect play by both sides always ends in a draw, making checkers one of the largest games ever solved.

This version plays standard American (English) rules on the dark squares of an 8×8 board. Captures are mandatory: if a jump is available you must take it, and you must keep jumping while the chain continues. Reaching the far row crowns a king, which moves and jumps one diagonal step in any direction — there are no long-range "flying kings" as in international draughts. You can pass the device between two players, or face a computer opponent at four difficulty levels backed by a minimax search that looks up to eight moves deep on Expert. Move hints, one-tap undo and optional sound round out the table.

Strategically, resist the urge to advance everywhere at once. Keep pieces on your back row early to deny easy kings, fight for the centre where pieces control the most diagonals, and use the forced-capture rule as a weapon — offering a piece your opponent must take can set up a devastating double or triple jump in return. When you are ahead in material, trade pieces freely; a simplified board magnifies your advantage.