How to Win at Checkers
Checkers is an ancient board game that has a strong possibility of actually being derived from chess itself. Both the games bear strong resemblance, with the players moving pieces across a chequered board with the aim of removing their opponent’s pieces from the box. While both the games start in a similar pattern, the conditions for winning are different, with the fate of a checkers game decided once a player captures all of his opponent’s pieces, whereas chess ends with the capture of the king.
Requiring both a strong presence of mind and experience, checkers is a game that one can never claim to be perfect at. There is always room for improvement.
If you are struggling to win at checkers, understand that you must be doing something wrong. It is possible to beat a seasoned checkers player if you know your way around the board and understand the importance of strategies.
Instructions
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1
Always try to choose the black side so that you get to make the first move. This will give you an advantage over your opponent since you have an extra turn to move your pieces, thus making it possible for you to control the game from the very beginning.
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2
Make it next to impossible for your opponent to king their pieces by leaving the pieces in the back row untouched. Do not move them unless you are left with no other option. Your opponent will only be able to king their pieces by driving you out, which may lead them into making some desperate and consequently wrong moves.
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3
Plan out your strategy in such a way that it enables you to king as many of your pieces as possible. Of course, you will need to keep on creating and capitalising on opportunities to jump your opponent’s pieces as well, as that is basically what you main objective is.
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4
Always start the game with a pre-meditated strategy. This will allow you to control the game by making or compelling your opponent to move into the trap that you have set for them. Creating a strategy halfway through the game can put you at a serious disadvantage, especially if your opponent is playing according to his own strategy, something that is going to be the case in most games.
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5
Put yourself in a dominating position by getting many kings. With the freedom of moving both forwards and backwards, you will be able to really push your opponent on the back-foot. With more kings for you to control, it will be more of a case of “When?” instead of “What?” for your opponent as far as the outcome of the game is concerned.
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6
Always take your time before moving a piece. Even if you have a concrete strategy in mind, make sure you analyse the whole board before actually moving a piece. Do not be afraid to sacrifice a piece to capture two pieces of your opponent.
