Checkers Glossary

A comprehensive reference of checkers terminology used in rules, strategy discussions, and tournament play.

Back Row: The row of squares closest to a player. Keeping pieces on the back row prevents opponents from reaching the king row. Also called the "king row" from the opponent's perspective.
Block: A position where a player's pieces cannot make any legal move. Being blocked results in a loss, even if the player still has pieces on the board.
Board Notation: The standard numbering system for checkers squares, numbered 1-32 from the top-left to bottom-right (dark squares only). Used in game records and analysis.
Bridge: Two pieces side by side on the same row, forming a defensive structure. A bridge is difficult for a single king to penetrate and is a key defensive technique.
Capture: Removing an opponent's piece from the board by jumping over it diagonally to the empty square beyond. Captures are mandatory in standard rules.
Crown: The act of promoting a piece to a king upon reaching the opposite end of the board. In physical play, a captured piece is placed on top of the promoted piece.
Diagonal: The direction pieces move in checkers. All movement and captures occur along diagonal lines on the dark squares of the board.
Dog Hole: The single corner of the board — a square with only one adjacent dark square. Pieces in the dog hole have minimal mobility and are strategically weak.
Double Corner: The corner of the board where two edge squares meet. The double corner is a stronger position than the single corner because a king there has two escape routes.
Double Jump: A move where a piece captures two opponent pieces in succession during a single turn. The piece jumps over one opponent, then immediately jumps over another.
Draw: A game that ends with no winner. Draws occur when neither player can force a capture to win, or by mutual agreement. Perfect play from both sides always results in a draw.
Exchange: A trade where each player loses the same number of pieces. Even exchanges benefit the player with more remaining pieces.
First Position: A famous endgame position studied in checkers theory. One of the most important positions for understanding king vs. king endgames.
Flying King: A king that can move any number of squares diagonally in one move, like a bishop in chess. Used in International Draughts (10x10) but NOT in American Checkers, where kings move one square at a time.
Forced Move: A position where only one legal move is available, usually because only one jump is possible. Forced moves are often the basis for tactical combinations.
Huff: An old rule (now mostly obsolete) where a player who failed to make a mandatory capture had their piece "huffed" (removed) by the opponent. Modern rules simply require the capture to be made.
Jump: The act of capturing an opponent's piece by moving diagonally over it to the empty square beyond. The captured piece is removed from the board.
King: A promoted piece that can move both forward and backward diagonally. Kings are created when a regular piece reaches the opponent's back row.
King Row: The row farthest from a player — the opponent's back row. Reaching this row promotes a regular piece to a king.
Man: A regular (unpromoted) checkers piece. Men can only move and capture forward diagonally. Also called a "single" or simply a "piece."
Move: Advancing a piece one square diagonally to an adjacent empty dark square. Distinguished from a jump, which captures an opponent's piece.
Multiple Jump: A sequence of captures made by one piece in a single turn. If a piece can continue jumping after its first capture, it must keep jumping until no more captures are available.
Opening: The first several moves of a checkers game. In tournament play, there are named openings (like the Cross, the Old Fourteenth, the Kelso) that have been analyzed for centuries.
Shot: A tactical sacrifice — offering one piece to capture two or more in return. Shots exploit the mandatory capture rule by forcing the opponent to jump into a losing position.
Single Corner: The corner where only one dark square borders the edge. Also called the dog hole. Strategically inferior to the double corner.
Star Formation: A defensive formation where pieces protect each other in a star-like pattern. One of several named formations studied in checkers theory.
Triple Jump: Capturing three opponent pieces in a single turn through a chain of three consecutive jumps. Triple jumps are rare but devastating when they occur.

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Checkers Glossary

A comprehensive reference of checkers terminology used in rules, strategy discussions, and tournament play.

Back Row: The row of squares closest to a player. Keeping pieces on the back row prevents opponents from reaching the king row. Also called the "king row" from the opponent's perspective.
Block: A position where a player's pieces cannot make any legal move. Being blocked results in a loss, even if the player still has pieces on the board.
Board Notation: The standard numbering system for checkers squares, numbered 1-32 from the top-left to bottom-right (dark squares only). Used in game records and analysis.
Bridge: Two pieces side by side on the same row, forming a defensive structure. A bridge is difficult for a single king to penetrate and is a key defensive technique.
Capture: Removing an opponent's piece from the board by jumping over it diagonally to the empty square beyond. Captures are mandatory in standard rules.
Crown: The act of promoting a piece to a king upon reaching the opposite end of the board. In physical play, a captured piece is placed on top of the promoted piece.
Diagonal: The direction pieces move in checkers. All movement and captures occur along diagonal lines on the dark squares of the board.
Dog Hole: The single corner of the board — a square with only one adjacent dark square. Pieces in the dog hole have minimal mobility and are strategically weak.
Double Corner: The corner of the board where two edge squares meet. The double corner is a stronger position than the single corner because a king there has two escape routes.
Double Jump: A move where a piece captures two opponent pieces in succession during a single turn. The piece jumps over one opponent, then immediately jumps over another.
Draw: A game that ends with no winner. Draws occur when neither player can force a capture to win, or by mutual agreement. Perfect play from both sides always results in a draw.
Exchange: A trade where each player loses the same number of pieces. Even exchanges benefit the player with more remaining pieces.
First Position: A famous endgame position studied in checkers theory. One of the most important positions for understanding king vs. king endgames.
Flying King: A king that can move any number of squares diagonally in one move, like a bishop in chess. Used in International Draughts (10x10) but NOT in American Checkers, where kings move one square at a time.
Forced Move: A position where only one legal move is available, usually because only one jump is possible. Forced moves are often the basis for tactical combinations.
Huff: An old rule (now mostly obsolete) where a player who failed to make a mandatory capture had their piece "huffed" (removed) by the opponent. Modern rules simply require the capture to be made.
Jump: The act of capturing an opponent's piece by moving diagonally over it to the empty square beyond. The captured piece is removed from the board.
King: A promoted piece that can move both forward and backward diagonally. Kings are created when a regular piece reaches the opponent's back row.
King Row: The row farthest from a player — the opponent's back row. Reaching this row promotes a regular piece to a king.
Man: A regular (unpromoted) checkers piece. Men can only move and capture forward diagonally. Also called a "single" or simply a "piece."
Move: Advancing a piece one square diagonally to an adjacent empty dark square. Distinguished from a jump, which captures an opponent's piece.
Multiple Jump: A sequence of captures made by one piece in a single turn. If a piece can continue jumping after its first capture, it must keep jumping until no more captures are available.
Opening: The first several moves of a checkers game. In tournament play, there are named openings (like the Cross, the Old Fourteenth, the Kelso) that have been analyzed for centuries.
Shot: A tactical sacrifice — offering one piece to capture two or more in return. Shots exploit the mandatory capture rule by forcing the opponent to jump into a losing position.
Single Corner: The corner where only one dark square borders the edge. Also called the dog hole. Strategically inferior to the double corner.
Star Formation: A defensive formation where pieces protect each other in a star-like pattern. One of several named formations studied in checkers theory.
Triple Jump: Capturing three opponent pieces in a single turn through a chain of three consecutive jumps. Triple jumps are rare but devastating when they occur.

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