Can a King Double Jump in Checkers?

Checkers... a game that can challenge the mind and conquer the globe! It’s a game that can be played for fun or to pass the time; however, it is also a game that can require great mental strain if you have the right opponent. It’s known for its championships and tournaments. It’s a game of placing one checker on a different square. There is only one winner. When learning, there are many questions, especially if you want to win! One of the common questions when learning is can a king double jump in Checkers? In checkers a king can not only double jump but also triple or quadruple jump! Matter of fact if w jump is available you are required to do it by rule so once you start jumping with your king you have to keep jumping until you run out of jumps. You may have seen a game of Checkers played. Generally speaking, the opponents are often in great thought as they plan their next move. With eyes focused on the board, they are assessing their options. Their hands may seem feeble as they shake the feelings of uncertainty. The other may be quietly soothing their chin or held on a nervous, bouncing knee. Whatever the case, it always causes intrigue as people watch to see the outcome. Who has the greatest mind to win? Who is planning their moves three steps ahead? Who is focused only on what is right in front of them instead of how the other player is situated? You may see an easy defeat or a long thought out process that could take hours. There are several rules when playing. A player makes a move by placing a checker on a new square. You can capture or “jump” the other player's piece, removing it from the board. If your piece is in the position after capturing a piece and sees another opportunity right away, you may capture or “jump” again. You can do a double jump, a triple jump, and so on depending on how many moves you can complete. When a single piece finally reaches the last jump or moves to the other side of the board, it is officially a king. A king can move in any diagonal direction as long as there is board left for them to move on. A king can only jump over one piece of it’s opponent at a time in its diagonal crossing as a normal checker can. It cannot jump over two pieces at once that are directly next to each other. However, a king CAN do multiple jumps just like a single piece can. The goal is to capture as many of the opponent’s pieces as possible. Being a king is a bonus in that it can go in any diagonal direction, making it more efficient to win the game. Winning or losing, checkers is a great game. It’s a game with only one winner, whoever has captured all of the opponent’s pieces or the opponent will declare that they resign. The game is also lost by a player who realizes he cannot make any legal moves on the board. The game is a draw when there is no capture or promotion to king for 40 consecutive moves. If you want all the advantages possible, you really want that king! Not only is it great for being able to be more effective, you also get the chance to capture way more of your opponents pieces so you can win the game! To see the most popular checker games just click here. What Are The Rules For Checkers? It is said that there are 370 different movies that play checkers during scenes and possibly another 60 different films that have been lost all the way from the silent era. It is sometimes referred to as “poor man’s chess” or “common chess.” Films might give the game some sort of symbolic meaning or use it to create rapport between its audience. Thanks to its popularity, it has generated a lot of attraction and many people want to learn how to play it. However there are a few rules to remember and they can take some time to learn or remember. Joe Moore, a champion member of the American Checker Federation, gave a mind blowing number of moves that can be played in checkers. Approximately 500,000,000,000,000,000,000 - that means 5 hundred, billion, billion options! This mind blowing number will help you realize why checkers remains popular even though it’s not considered as strategic as its counter game of chess. Knowing this, you may be a bit intimidated to learn checkers, but don’t fear! I will give you a few tips so you can learn the basics. Checkers is played on a board that is divided into 64 alternating light and dark squares. Sometimes they will be white and black or red and white. Those are the most popular boards that are available. Each player will pick the color they wish to play, either light or dark, and start with 12 pieces. When you have your color, then you place your 12 pieces on the color of the 3 rows closest to you. The object of the game is to capture all of your opponent’s pieces by jumping them. You can only move one piece at a time. You can only move one space at a time unless you are jumping. You always have to move forward diagonally until a piece is a king. Then it can move forward or backwards diagonally. A piece can jump, and therefore capture, the opponent’s piece if the piece is occupying a diagonally adjacent square and the adjacent diagonal on the other side of the piece is empty. If there is an opportunity to double jump or triple jump, then that move must be played at the same time with the same piece during that turn. Everyone wants to get a king. The row closest to you, the end row, is the king row or also the crown row. When a piece reaches the opponent’s last row, it will then be given a top with another checker piece (they are stacked on top of each other) and given the title “King.” A regular checker piece can only move forward; however, a king can move either forward or backward as long as it is moving diagonally. A king can also move multiple spaces while jumping, and change directions while jumping! This makes it very valuable. You must make all the jumps available on a turn even if it puts your piece in danger. Kings can also be jumped themselves and be captured just like a regular piece. That kinda is a boasting moment for the one who has captured a king. If a regular checker piece is making multiple jumps and lands in the king row, that will complete the turn as it will be crowned into a king. Only on the next turn can that piece act like a king. The new king is not allowed to move until the opponent has finished his turn. Therefore, remember that the opponent’s turn begins when the piece is crowned king. Final thoughts Playing checkers is always a fun game, especially if you’re winning. You have so many options and moves you can play that will stump your opponent when you best him or her in a move. It is a game for the intellectual as well as the common man. It’s portable so it can go virtually anywhere. If you travel, it hardly takes up any space as it can fit easily into a suitcase. Checkers is also a multicultural game that can be played anywhere. It can bridge the gap between new acquaintances and help you make new friends. If you become a serious player, you may even join championships and tournaments that are dedicated to the game of checkers, thereby also meeting other enthusiasts for the game. Hopefully these rules have helped you get a basic understanding of the game, and now you will be able to play others as you start this adventure of checkers!