Explore the Rich History of Checkers: What Makes This Game So Popular Among Online Gamers?

What’s black, white, and sure to get the party started?

We are, of course, talking about checkers, a classic game that outdates even chess with its rich history and accessible enjoyment. Unlike many more complex games, the simple rules of checkers mean that we can play from childhood right into our adult lives, and many of us choose to do precisely that. From Christmas gaming to a relaxing session on a Sunday afternoon, checkers has long been a top game of choice for many.

In recent years, the popularity of checkers has only grown with the introduction of online play that adds to the game’s simplicity by even setting up the board for you! This is a benefit that’s boosted ease of play yet further, securing the place of checkers amongst even the more advanced world of virtual play.

In this article, we’ll explore the rich history of checkers, and consider why it’s the perfect option for online gamers worldwide.

Checkers: A Classic Board Game

Checkers may feel like a fittingly contemporary game, but it’s actually one of the oldest games we still play, and it’s got an incredibly rich history behind it. Even famed faces like Homer and Plato once sang its praises! But, where did it all begin? Come with us as we delve into the past of this classic board game.

A Brief History of Checkers

Checkers likely featured in your childhood, and that’s not the only history this classic board game has to boast. The earliest evidence of checkers was found in an ancient Iraqi city called Ur, and was believed to date as far back as 3,000 BC.

A similar game called Alquerque, which is believed to be the ‘parent of checkers’ has an even longer history stretching back to 1400 BC and the Ancient Egyptians. You could argue, then, that checkers is the great, great, great grandfather of the board game world.

Checkers as we know it was developed in the 12th century when a Frenchman had the idea of playing the classic game of checkers on a chess board in a game that he termed ‘fierges’. More affectionately, this new game was called ‘Le Jeu Plaisant De Dames,’, which translates to ‘The Pleasant Game of Checkers.’ This version saw the introduction of the mandatory jumps, or "Jeu Force", that make up gameplay as we still know it today.

The game then made its way to Europe, where it became known as ‘draughts’, and America, where it became known as ‘checkers’, in the 16th century, paving a brand new age for worldwide board game enjoyment.

The Game’s Rise to Popularity

You don’t need to be a board game buff to play checkers, and we’ve all enjoyed a game or two at some point in our lives. But, how did checkers go from an obscure French take on a classic game, which was initially considered to be a women’s society game, to the worldwide phenomenon that it still is today?

The game’s popularity, like its history, has grown over centuries of gameplay and adaptation. The appearance of checkers in ancient texts from respected figures like Plato and Homer certainly didn’t harm its reputation! More recently, checkers also has a firm place in pop culture thanks to its appearance in movies like Forrest Gump.

It’s also worth noting the simple rules and vast accessibility of the game, which have meant that even novices throughout history have been able to easily play and succeed. This has been particularly true since the 16th century when the game’s rules were cemented by rule books like the English mathematician William Payne's treatise.

Checkers in a Digital World

You might assume that a simple game like checkers would struggle to stand up against far more complex virtual gaming worlds, but checkers has been at the forefront of digital gaming since the very early days. In fact, Arthur L. Samuels created the first checkers program for computer use way back in 1952. This software was relatively basic, but it paved the way for the more complex databases of modern gameplay.

Now, checkers is an increasingly popular game for online players who can play either against the computer or their friends within databases that are designed to cover all possible endgame positions with ten pieces left on the board.

Strategy and Skill in Checkers

The simplicity of checkers might have played a major role in its rise to fame, but that’s by no means to suggest that there’s no skill involved in successful gameplay. Like any game, practice and a firm understanding of potential moves can significantly increase your chances of a win.

Whether online gamers are playing against the computer or a real-life opponent, these strategic skills can serve to enhance gameplay enjoyment. Basic strategies that are particularly effective in online and in-person games include –

• Controlling the center: Players should always aim to control the center of the board using their kings, which can move in any direction. This is because kings can’t be captured when grouped in the center, providing far more mobility across the board.
• Leaving the back row intact: You can’t crown your pieces until they reach your opponent’s side of the board, but it’s often a mistake to try and get all your pieces there. By instead leaving your back row intact, you can prevent your opponent from crowning their pieces, while also keeping your pieces safe.
• Crown over capture: In checkers, you capture your opponent’s pieces by jumping over them diagonally, but prioritizing this move over crowning your pieces is rarely worthwhile. Instead, you should focus on safely reaching the opposite side of the board and earning yourself some kings that can move in every direction, and thus more easily capture opposing pieces.

More advanced techniques also include forcing an opponent into a costly move, blocking an opponent’s pieces, and sacrificing pieces to gain strategic advantage.

Developing Skills Through Online Gameplay

One thing that makes checkers so popular as an online game is the ability to practice and develop gameplay skills easily. Playing against the computer can be particularly useful for improving your winning abilities.

Top ways to develop your checkers skills through online gameplay include –

• Paying attention to the computer’s moves: While it’s useful to develop your own style of checkers play online, you can also learn a lot from noting down the computer’s moves.
• Undoing your moves: Playing online allows you to easily undo your last move. While this does cost you time, it's a useful way to test out even advanced strategies.
• Using the ‘hint’ button: At 24/7 Checkers, we provide a hint button that suggests your next move at the cost of added time. This can help you to move intuitively and clearly see all of your gameplay options.
• Advancing your level: Online checker games are unique in that they allow you to gradually increase the difficulty of your games. This means you can begin at an easy level, and increase the level of skill you need as you improve.
• Playing anywhere: The more often you play checkers, the better your skills will become. Online games can come anywhere with you, and they allow you to easily pause and resume as required, ensuring regular practice during even your busy days.
• Setting your sights on daily challenges: We host daily challenges at 24/7 Checkers which can see you winning a spot on our leaderboard. This is great as motivation and can see you playing quick daily games to increase your skill level.

Benefits of Playing Checkers

Checkers is an incredibly fun game to play, but that’s not the only benefit that sees online gamers coming back time and again. In reality, there are loads of different benefits to playing checkers online, and just a few worth considering include –

Improved Attention Span

Checkers is an easy game to get into, but it requires a lot of attention and concentration during gameplay. This is especially true as your skills advance, and you spend longer on every move. In fact, the longest checkers game on record lasted an impressive 7 hours and 30 minutes!

It’s more common for games to last between 10-30 minutes, but even these shorter time frames can be effective for promoting concentration, especially amongst younger players.

Strategizing Skills

Checkers can be great from a strategizing standpoint if you play regularly. This is especially true for online players, who can easily replay and restart games to test out various strategies and techniques.

Checkers is particularly effective in this sense because it’s a fun and simple game, yet it teaches key strategy skills, including playing out each move in your mind just like you might in a more complex game of chess.

Problem-solving

Your pieces can end up in all kinds of sticky situations during a checkers game, and you’ll inevitably improve your problem-solving skills by trying to get them out again. Problem-solving skills are a particular benefit when you begin using more strategic techniques, like sacrificing certain pieces so that you can ultimately ensure a stronger game.

When playing online, you can develop problem-solving skills even further by testing out different solutions using the undo button to begin with.

Building Turn-Taking Skills

Younger players can develop key turn-taking skills by playing checkers, which is a relatively fast-fire game that allows them to wait for their turn without getting impatient. The fact that there are only two players (or a computer) is also useful, as it means that they only need to get used to taking turns with one other person.

They’ll then be able to apply this skill to games that take a little longer or have three or more players.

The Social Side

Because the rules of checkers are so simple, this is a great game for the sake of socialization. Players can easily conduct conversations as they play, unlike with games like chess, which are usually played in silence.

Obviously, you can’t enjoy this benefit while playing against your computer, but at 24/7 Checkers, you can still get your social fix by playing against people online or choosing a two-player game for you and a friend in real life.

Checkers: Fun For All Ages

Checkers is popular because it provides accessible fun for all ages. While preschoolers may struggle to grasp the rules, children from around the age of six upwards can enjoy checkers. Equally, unlike many childhood board games, checkers holds lasting appeal for adult online gamers who can easily play with their friends.

Online checkers is particularly good for keen young gamers, for reasons that include –

• Familiarity: Young audiences are often more used to playing games online than in person. By playing checkers online, the gaming experience will feel more familiar and intuitive.
• Skill advancement: Online checkers games can be adapted to suit a player’s skill level, meaning that young players can easily start at a comfortable level and increase it as they get older.
• Pause function: The pause function on online checker’s games means that young players can easily leave and resume games at a pace that suits them. This makes it possible to play a game of checkers across the day, without having a board lying around all that time.

Online checkers games that are accessible from anywhere, and which can be easily played at an advanced level, are also great fun for adults on their lunch breaks or looking to relax in the evening. Simply log on, get started, and pause the game to finish later if you don’t have time to play the whole thing now.

The history of checkers is rich and far-reaching, and the game’s leading role in the development of online gameplay has very much made it a staple of our modern times. Whether you’re keen to hone your skills against a computer or help your child develop all-important cognitive skills at their own pace, you can do it with our games here at 247checkers. Play online or with friends in real life at the click of a button, and see if you can secure yourself a place on our daily challenge leaderboard.

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