Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Increasing your chance of winning
• Tips
• Warnings

Ready to beat your family and friends in checkers? Learn the basics of drafts and you will have a big advantage over other amateur players. When you're ready to take your game to the next level, there are some specific strategies that can help increase your chances of winning. You may also want to consider entering tournaments or practicing with an expert to improve your game.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Increasing your chance of winning

1. Focus on getting more checkers than your opponent. In checkers, the person with more checkers has the advantage. Try to hit as many checkers as possible to increase your chances of winning the game.
   • To put this advice into practice, advance to an area on the board where your opponent has fewer checkers or where the checkers are more spread out. If you can protect this piece with nearby checkers and sacrifices, you have a good chance of making a dam.
   • See the advanced strategies below for "redirecting the enemy" and sneaking a dam.
2. Keep your back row untouched until you really need to move those checkers. It is impossible for your opponent to hit his or her checkers if the back row is occupied, so this strategy will prevent your opponent from taking advantage too early in the game. You also have more freedom of movement when you eventually do move the discs of the back row.
   • Remember that it is not possible to leave the back row intact throughout the game. As soon as you run out of checkers or see an opportunity for a profitable trade, don't hesitate to move forward.
3. Know which drafts rules are used. Some tournaments have the standard rules of checkers, also called Go As You Please, GAYP or freestyle. Others follow the 3 moves rule, limiting the players' options at the start of the game to a series of three moves. (The 3-move rule reduces the chance of a draw between skilled players.)
4. Study a strategy guide that matches the rules used and your skill. The more recent books will feature up-to-date strategic attacks, but this is less important to a beginner. Search the shelf of drafts books in the library or in the store, and you might find a book that is useful and fun to read.
5. Play against the best opponents you can find. Playing against more experienced players who are willing to share their knowledge with you is a great way to improve your game. Whether this means participating in tournaments or looking for an (amateur) expert in your area; the better your opponents are, the more you will learn.

Tips

• Know your opponent. A "foul" by a skilled opponent is likely to be a trap. Think carefully before striking an available piece.

Warnings

• Don't attack with a single piece if you have several other checkers that can defend it. Early in the game, when you have enough stones left, you should always use them to protect the other stones.
• Don't play too fast. Especially when there is an opportunity to capture an opponent's piece, a beginner is often too eager to take the advantage. Against a more experienced player, this means that you are very likely to fall into a trap.
• Don't be too defensive. The "force hitting" rule will eventually require you to leave a defensive position. It is more effective to try to crown your own checkers than to prevent your opponent from doing this, to avoid hurting yourself.