Ancient Game of Jumping and Kinging
Written: Jan 10 '04
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Pros: Inexpensive; Easy to learn; Requires you to think
Cons: Pieces can get lost; After so long, will you want something more challenging
The Bottom Line: Checkers is a classic game that most everyone knows how to play, but few can play well.
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| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Checkers |
Checkers is a classic game that has been played by millions of people for centuries. This ancient game is often one of the first games that kids are introduced to, and often they begin play at a young age.
Object of the Game:
To win at the game of checkers, you must eliminate all of your opponent’s pieces before he/she eliminates all of yours. There is no time limit, and it doesn’t matter how many pieces you have remaining when the game ends. If you have only one remaining piece and your opponent has none, then you are the winner.
Game Materials:
The game of checkers consists of a total of 25 pieces. There are 24 checkers, a small, round (usually) plastic chip, that are divided into two groups of 12 checkers of the same color. In most all checkers games, the colors of the checkers are black and red. But the color really doesn’t matter. The only requirement is that both players have 12 checkers of uniform color.
The other material in a checkers game is the checkerboard, a flat, square- shaped game board that is divided into 64 smaller squares. The small squares alternate colors and there are 8 rows of 8 squares. Once again, the usual coloring scheme is alternating black and red squares, but there is no rule for this. Depending on where you purchase a checkerboard, there could be other colors. But they all have the same 8 x 8 configuration of small squares and they all have the colors arranged in an alternating fashion.
Game Play/Strategy:
Play begins by the two players setting their twelve checkers on opposite sides of the board, in three rows of four checkers each. The checkers are placed in alternating squares. Thus, only one set of the colored squares on the checkerboard will be occupied by a checker throughout the game. Most of the time, the black colored squares are the ones that are used (or, if there is another coloring scheme, the darker color is usually used). There is no rule that says the darker color must be used. The game would still work if the red squares were used. But using the darker colored squares seems easier to follow, which is probably why they are the color of choice.
Play begins with the first player moving one of his/her checkers diagonally into an open space (Movement in checkers is always in a diagonal direction). The opponent then moves into an open space. Sooner or later, it will get to the point where an opponent’s piece is in one of the spaces directly diagonal and the space beyond is empty. When this situation occurs, the player then jumps his/her opponent’s piece and it is removed from the game.
In the beginning of a game, a checker can only be moved forward. Therefore, the most possible places to move a checker are two: diagonally to the left or diagonally to the right. If a player succeeds at reaching his/her opponent’s back row, the piece becomes a “king”, which is designated by placing another checker of the same color on top of the one that reaches the back row. A king has the advantage of being able to move either forward or backward, giving it up to four possible spaces to move rather than only two.
One of the standard rules of checkers (and one which is commonly ignored) is that players must take their jumps. If an opponent’s piece is sitting in front of yours and there is an open space beyond, then you must jump the piece. It’s also possible to jump multiple pieces on a single move and once again, if the opportunity is there, you have to take it.
Strategy is a major component of the game of checkers. The most important thing to remember is that you must think ahead. You must anticipate where your player is going to make his/her next move before you make your move. And you must consider whether or not you want to give up a jump in order to gain more than you lose. Jumps are inevitable, and sometimes you will get to the point where you will have to move one of your checkers directly in front of an opponent’s piece to accomplish a goal. Often, this strategy is necessary to get an opponent to move his/her pieces out of the back row so that you can gain a king. Remember- if you place one of your pieces in front of an opponent’s (whether in the back row or elsewhere), he/she has to jump it, and this can then open up a space that you wish to move your piece. It’s also a common strategy to setup the board and give up one of your checkers (through a jump) so that you can jump multiple checkers of your opponents. There is no standard way to do this, though. It’s something you learn from practice.
Most every game of checkers ends with a victor, but there is a slim possibility that the game will end in a tie. This occurs when each player is down to one piece and they just keep moving back and forth, to and from the same two squares. If this happens, then the game is considered a draw. There is no tie- breaker in checkers.
Cost/Availability:
Checkers is one of the most widely available games you will ever try to find. Checkers is usually sold in a packaged box set, with a folding board and a set of 24 checkers. This game can be found in all sorts of stores and on- line shops, from discount stores, to game stores, and even in grocery stores and small carry- outs. Checkers is a universally known game, and this makes it a safe game to stock on the store shelves. Even in markets where other games will not move very quickly, Checkers will sell.
A basic game of checkers costs less than $10 for a set. The game can cost more if buyers want something a little more fancy. You can purchase checkerboards and pieces made of marble, various metals, ceramic, and other materials that will, of course, inflate the price. But if all you want is a standard set of plastic checkers and a cardboard checkerboard, you should have no problem finding a set for between $5 and $10.
Final Thoughts:
Checkers is one of the first games that youngsters learn how to play. It’s a game that requires little in the way of reading, writing, and general knowledge skills to begin play. But it takes a lot of practice to play well. My first game of checkers was experienced with my dad, and I have memories of playing against grandparents. Knowing very little about the strategy of the game at the time, these adult players usually boosted my confidence by setting up easy jumps and giving me a chance to win the game. Playing against other kids was also popular and it usually involved trading jumps, back and forth, until one player was left with no checkers on the board.
The more you play checkers, the more you realize just how much strategy there is in the game. Anyone can learn to play checkers, but only a few can play it well enough to win the majority of games. The key, as I stressed before, is anticipation. You have to think ahead and attempt to figure out where your opponent will make his/her next move. And often, you will have to sacrifice one of your own pieces in order to create a situation where there will be a multiple jump opportunity.
Gaining kings is also crucial to winning at checkers. Without gaining any kings, there will be almost no chance to win the game. The key is to eliminate your opponent’s pieces as quickly as possible, and kings come in very handy for this task because they can move in any direction.
Some individuals have written books about the game of checkers and how to maneuver your pieces to make the victory more certain. There is no one foolproof way to win at checkers. But knowing a strategy can make a huge difference. Most players who approach a game of checkers do so for fun, not to win money or to compete at a serious level. Because of this, most players do not really have any type of strategy when they decide to play. If you have a trick or two up your sleeve that you learned from an experienced player or from reading a book, you will already have the advantage over about 90 percent of the opponents you face.
Because of the universal popularity and familiarity of checkers, it is common to see this game in electronic form, on hand- held games and on the internet. One way that I sometimes kill a little time is to play internet checkers. The internet hooks me up with another player somewhere in the world and we square off in a game of checkers on the computer screen. I have played against people from places all over the world, from Ireland to South Africa, to New Zealand and beyond. The fact that so many people from so many countries know how to play checkers (and play so well) is further proof of the universal appeal of this game.
Checkers is a game that has been around for more than 3,000 years. For many people, both past and present, checkers represents one of their earliest experiences with playing a competitive board game. Checkers is a simple game to learn, but it takes time and practice to master. You must keep yourself a step ahead of your opponent at all times to consistently win at this ancient game. It’s a classic that has easily stood the test of time and will almost certainly entertain future generations who jump about the board trying to eliminate their opponent’s checkers.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 7.99
Type of Toy: Game
Age Range of Child: 6 to 8 Years
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