7 Strategies Every King Can Use in Checkers

A game of checkers is primarily a game of strategy. This means that you should keep your wits about you when playing against your opponent in order to secure a victory.

One of the easiest ways in which you can set yourself up for success in checkers is by understanding all of your options when it comes to moving around the board. This way, you can make the best possible decision, whether this means that you are then attempting to capture an opponent's checker or move yourself into a safer position.

While you may be familiar with the moves you are able to make with a standard checker (forward in a diagonally adjacent tile), the rules change somewhat when the tile becomes a King.

Read on to find out more about King Checkers and the strategies you can utilize with these vital pieces.

King Moves: Learning the Basics

A King can move to a diagonally adjacent vacant tile in any direction, forward and backward. This means that it is a much more mobile peice than standard checkers (sometimes referred to as men), which you can use to your advantage during gameplay.

However, this does not mean that you should move them blindly into any available spot. You need to be strategic. For example, you should pay attention to any of your opponent's checkers near your King and think about the best way to move closer without putting your King at risk. In some cases, it's better to move away from an opponent to keep a checker in play.

Flying Kings: Mastering Advanced Strategies

In certain variations of checkers, Kings are referred to as Flying Kings. These are kind checkers that can travel any distance on the board, as opposed to moving forward a single tile (or two tiles when capturing) at a time.

However, when playing 247 Poker, your King can move only to neighboring diagonal tiles or the tile beyond this when capturing an opponent's checker. For this reason, you should aim to gather your King tiles in the center of the board where possible. After all, if they remain in Kings Row or the edges of the board, their playability is limited quite considerably. Maintaining control of the center of the board allows you to maximize the benefits of this type of checker while further limiting your opponent's choices, even if they have King checkers in play.

King Power: Understanding Their Abilities

Understanding the value of the King and its abilities is also key to enhancing your gameplay. After all, this could be the difference between you attempting to cross the board (turning a standard checker into a King) or focusing on capturing your opponent's checkers instead.

Fortunately, the King's abilities are relatively straightforward. You can move diagonally in any direction with a few different objectives in mind. For example, you could move to:

• Move your King into a safer position
• Capture an opponent's checker by jumping over to them
• To create a cluster of checkers in one place, blocking an opponent's move

Game Tactics: Utilizing Kings Effectively

There are many different strategies that you can deploy to ensure that you are using Kings effectively. This starts by turning standard checkers into Kings as quickly as possible (and ideally before your opponent). After all, this means that you then have more opportunities to use them during gameplay.

However, you should also attempt to prevent your opponent from getting their hands on King checkers by keeping your bottom row (also known as Kings row) of checkers in their opening position for as long as possible. While this does not stop players from turning their men into Kings, it does make it a little harder for them to do so - and gives you plenty of chances to capture their checker on the way.

Royal Rules: How to Play with Kings

Learning how to play with Kings is relatively straightforward, as the pieces do not massively alter the gameplay itself. You simply need to remember that they can move a little more freely than the men/standard checkers, which is something that you can use to your advantage.

If this concept is something you’re struggling to wrap your head around, don’t worry. We’ve made it easier than ever to play with Kings (and standard checkers) when playing 247 Checkers. This is because whenever you click on a specific checker, any tiles it can move into are automatically highlighted. If a tile is highlighted in green, this is a spot that your checker can jump to. If red, jumping to this tile will allow you to capture an opponent's checker (or checkers, if making a double jump).

Generally speaking, you should have a few different options each round, and you can cycle between them by clicking each individual checker before making your decision. If a checker is unable to move, no tiles will be highlighted. You can also select the lightbulb button on the left-hand side of the screen, which will tell you what move to make next.

King Strategy: Maximizing King Potential

As outlined above, there are a few different ways in which you can set about maximizing the potential of the King. However, the most important step that you can take in this regard is to occupy the center of the board. This allows your Kings to move more freely so that you can capture opponents. You should also be sure to take action to protect your Kings where possible, such as by lining them up alongside your other checkers so that they cannot be checked by an opponent.

King Showdown: Competing with Kings

The competition really begins to heat up when both players have turned all (or most) of their men into Kings. After all, this means that both players can move around the board with a lot more freedom and power. In these cases, you may want to attempt to house some kings in safe zones that are out of the direct line of play. This way, if the Kings in the center of the board are captured, you still have opportunities to win and can avoid the fate of losing Kings to double jumps.

In cases where both players have a single King in play, then you need to find a way to back your opponent’s King into a corner. This way, they only have one possible tile to move to - which you can then move to block.

King Mastery: Tips for Checkers Gamers

Whether you’re completely new to the world of Checkers or want to become a better player, there are several steps that you can follow to ensure that your use of the King is masterful! For example, you should:

1. Understand how and where your King can move. Remember, this can vary slightly depending on the variation of checkers that you are playing.
2. Obtain a King checker as quickly as possible. The sooner a King comes into play, the sooner you can use it to your advantage. As such, you should move several checkers in the direction of your opponent’s Kings’ row, trying to block potential attacks along the way.
3. Keep Kings in a central position. When Kings remain in a central position on the board, they can travel in four different directions. When they are sidelined, their movement is limited.
4. Avoid getting backed into a corner. Whether you are down to your final checker or are in the midst of a tense game, avoid backing your Kings into a corner. After all, this means that you can only move in one direction, which could leave you in a vulnerable position.
5. Sacrifice standard checkers over Kings. You would have to be really lucky to make it through an entire game without losing checkers, as you’ll often have to move into a position you know is vulnerable to proceed with the game (you cannot skip a turn in checkers). However, if given the option, it is better to sacrifice a standard checker over a King.
6. Keep one of your kings out of the way. While you should avoid placing Kings in the corner of the board, you may want to keep a King outside of the direct line of fire when your opponent has a lot of checkers on the board. This encourages them to target central pieces/Kings, meaning you aren’t losing multiple checkers in a single maneouver.
7. Play more often. The more time that you spend playing checkers, the better player you’ll become. This also means that you’ll find it easier than ever to play with Kings.

At 247 Checkers, we’ve made it easier than ever to become a checker pro! After all, with our online game, you can join in on the fun at any time, from anywhere in the world. This means that you can practice as often as you’d like without even needing to invest in a checkers board.

DISCLAIMER: The games on this website are using PLAY (fake) money. No payouts will be awarded, there are no "winnings", as all games represented by 247 Games LLC are free to play. Play strictly for fun.