Can You Move Backwards in Draughts? Rules, Pieces and How to
Two players, a chequered board, and a row of simple round pieces. Draughts has been drawing people to the table for centuries, and part of its charm is how quickly a child can grasp the rules while an adult can still be caught out by them.
Before the first move, a fair question tends to come up: how many pieces do you each start with, and can those pieces ever retreat? The answers are worth knowing, because they shape every decision you make on the board.
Our draughts sets are tested to UKCA and CE safety standards, so a set bought for a young player is ready for years of games at the kitchen table. You will find draughts across our our traditional games and alongside the rest of our board games.
What You Need to Play Draughts and How to Set Up the Board
Draughts needs very little: a board of 64 squares and two sets of pieces in contrasting colours. English draughts is played on an 8×8 board, and only the 32 dark squares are ever used. The light squares stay empty from start to finish.
Each player sits behind one end of the board, with the dark squares arranged so that each has a dark square at their own near-left corner. This matters, because the whole game runs along the diagonals of those dark squares.
To set up, place your pieces on the dark squares of the three rows closest to you. That fills twelve squares per player and leaves the two middle rows clear — the open ground where the first exchanges happen.
Many families keep draughts and chess together, since the two share a board. Our wooden chess set that includes draughts pieces covers both games in one box, which is useful when you are not sure which game the evening will call for.
If you prefer a dedicated set, the folding draughts set with a 12" board packs the board and pieces away neatly and travels well. A folding board is handy for holidays and visits, and stores flat on a shelf.
Decide who plays first before you begin — darker pieces traditionally move first in many house rules. Once the board is set and sides are chosen, you are ready to play. The setup is the same every time, which is part of why the game is so easy to return to.
How Many Draughts Pieces Does Each Player Start With?
In standard English draughts, each player begins with 12 pieces. That gives 24 pieces on the board in total, filling every dark square across the first three rows on each side.
The number is fixed, and it never grows during play — pieces only come off the board as they are captured. This slow reduction is what gives draughts its arc: a crowded opening, a tense middle, and an endgame of just a few pieces hunting each other across open squares.
It helps to compare the count with other games. International draughts, sometimes called Polish draughts, is played on a larger 10×10 board, and each player starts with 20 pieces rather than 12. The bigger board and extra pieces make for a longer, more intricate game.
If you are curious how piece counts work elsewhere, our guide to how many pieces are in a chess set runs through the full chess line-up, and our look at how many pieces are in a domino set explains the different domino ranges.
For a child learning to count and set out, those twelve pieces are a neat first lesson in arrangement and symmetry. The same shapes appear across our wooden toys, where simple, tactile pieces do a surprising amount of teaching.
So the short answer: twelve pieces each in English draughts, twenty each in the international game. Agree which version you are playing before you set up, because the two are not interchangeable on the same board.
How Do You Move and Capture Pieces in Draughts?
Movement in draughts is strictly diagonal, along the dark squares. On your turn, an ordinary piece slides one square diagonally forward into an empty square. That is the whole of a normal move.
Capturing works by jumping. If an opponent's piece sits on a square diagonally ahead of yours, and the square immediately beyond it is empty, you leap over the enemy piece, land on that empty square, and remove the captured piece from the board.
Captures can chain. If, after landing, your piece is lined up for another jump, you continue in the same turn, removing each piece you leap. A single move can clear several enemy pieces when the diagonals line up.
There is one rule that catches newcomers out: in English draughts, capturing is mandatory. If a capture is available to you, you must take it. You cannot sidestep a jump to keep your piece safe, which forces players to think a move or two ahead before offering a tempting target.
This mandatory-capture rule is the heart of draughts tactics. Experienced players set small sacrifices as bait, knowing their opponent is obliged to take, only to open up a longer chain in reply.
The idea of mandatory moves and forced exchanges appears in many classic games. If you enjoy that kind of thinking, our overview of a full backgammon set and its rules covers a different approach to moving pieces across a board, and our guide to mancala pieces looks at a game built entirely on counting and distribution.
Can You Move Backwards in Draughts — and What Happens When You King a Piece?
Here is the question that trips up almost every new player: can you move backwards in draughts? For an ordinary piece, the answer is no. Non-king pieces move diagonally forward only, never backward. They march in one direction, pushing towards the far side of the board.
That changes the moment a piece reaches the opponent's back row — the furthest row from where it started. A piece that arrives there is crowned and becomes a king, usually marked by stacking a second captured piece on top of it.
A king can move diagonally both forward and backward. This freedom makes a king far more dangerous than an ordinary piece, able to chase enemies in any direction and defend ground behind it.
Because of the no-retreat rule, the race to king a piece drives much of the game's strategy. Players protect their own back row to deny the enemy a crown, while pushing a chosen piece forward to earn one.
Kings differ between versions. In international draughts, a king may travel any number of squares along a diagonal in a single move, which makes it considerably more powerful than an English king that moves one square at a time. It is a striking example of how a small rule change reshapes a whole game.
Understanding how pieces are promoted is familiar ground for anyone who has played chess, where a pawn reaching the far rank is also promoted. Our explainer on chess piece names, moves and setup sets out how that works. For the same quiet thinking outdoors, you will also find garden-scale games in our outdoor games.
How Do You Win at Draughts? Rules, Draws, and Common Mistakes
You win at draughts by leaving your opponent unable to move. In practice, that happens one of two ways: you capture all of their pieces, or you block the pieces they have left so that none can make a legal move on their turn.
Both routes count as a win, and the second is easy to overlook. A player with pieces still on the board can lose simply because every one of them is trapped. Mobility, not just material, decides games.
Draws do happen. If neither side can force a win — a common outcome between two careful players in the endgame — the game is agreed drawn. Repeated positions with no progress usually end this way by agreement.
A few mistakes come up again and again. New players forget that capturing is mandatory and leave a piece exposed, handing over a jump. Others rush a single piece forward to king it and lose three pieces along the way.
Another frequent error is neglecting the back row. Keeping your rearmost pieces in place for as long as sensible denies your opponent easy crowns. Give up that row too early and you may face a king before you have one of your own.
The best way to improve is simply to play often, and a folding board makes that easy. The folding draughts set suits regular family games, while the combined chess and draughts set keeps two classics within reach. Browse the rest of our board games to find a companion for draughts night.
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Frequently Asked Questions About How Many Draughts Pieces
How many pieces do you start with in draughts?
In standard English draughts, each player starts with 12 pieces. These are arranged on the dark squares of the three rows closest to each player on an 8×8 board, leaving two empty rows in the middle between the opposing sides. If you are playing international draughts (also known as Polish draughts), which uses a larger 10×10 board, each player begins with 20 pieces instead. The colour of pieces varies by set, but players traditionally use contrasting colours such as red and white.
Can you move backwards in draughts?
In standard English draughts, ordinary pieces cannot move backwards — they may only move diagonally forward, one square at a time. Backward movement becomes possible only once a piece is crowned as a king, which happens when it reaches the opponent's back row. A king may then move diagonally both forward and backward. In international draughts, kings are even more powerful and may move any number of squares diagonally in any direction, rather than just one square.
How do you set up a draughts board?
English draughts is played on an 8×8 board using only the 32 dark squares. Place the board so that each player has a dark square in the bottom-left corner. Each player places their 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three rows nearest to them, leaving the two central rows empty at the start of play. This means pieces occupy rows one to three for one player and rows six to eight for the other, all positioned on dark squares only.
How many players do you need to play draughts?
Draughts is a two-player game. One player controls the lighter-coloured pieces and the other the darker pieces. Both players sit on opposite sides of the board and take turns to move. The game is played directly between these two opponents with no teams or additional participants involved. Draughts has been a popular two-player strategy game for centuries and remains one of the most widely recognised board games in the world, produced by established games makers such as Jaques of London.
What happens when you reach the other side in draughts?
When one of your pieces reaches the opponent's back row in English draughts, it is crowned and becomes a king. Traditionally, crowning is marked by placing a second piece on top of it. A king gains the ability to move diagonally both forward and backward, making it considerably more powerful than an ordinary piece. In international draughts, kings are even stronger, able to travel any number of squares diagonally in any direction rather than being limited to a single square per move.
Do you have to take a piece if you can in draughts?
Yes. In English draughts, capturing is mandatory. If a move is available that allows you to take one of your opponent's pieces, you must make that capture — you cannot choose to make a different move instead. Captures are made by jumping diagonally over an opponent's piece into the empty square beyond it. If multiple captures are available in a single turn, the rules around which capture to take can vary, so it is worth confirming the specific ruleset being used before play begins.
How do you win a game of draughts?
You win a game of draughts by either capturing all of your opponent's pieces or leaving your opponent in a position where they have no legal moves available on their turn. Capturing is mandatory in English draughts, so manoeuvring your opponent into forced captures can be a key strategy. Promoting pieces to kings gives a significant advantage, as kings can move both forward and backward. A player who loses all their pieces, or who cannot make any legal move, loses the game.
What is the difference between draughts and checkers?
Draughts and checkers refer to essentially the same family of games — 'draughts' is the British English term, while 'checkers' is used primarily in North America. Standard English draughts and American checkers share the same core rules: an 8×8 board, 12 pieces per player, forward-only movement for ordinary pieces, and mandatory captures. Differences emerge in regional variants; for example, international draughts uses a 10×10 board with 20 pieces per player and allows kings to move any number of squares diagonally.
Can a king move more than one square in draughts?
In standard English draughts, a king moves only one square diagonally per turn, in any direction — forward or backward. This distinguishes English draughts from international draughts (Polish draughts), where kings are far more powerful and may move any number of squares diagonally in any direction in a single move, similar to a bishop in chess. If you are playing English draughts, your king is limited to one square per move unless it is making a capturing jump.
What happens if neither player can win in draughts?
If neither player is able to win, the game is declared a draw. This can occur when both players have reduced forces that are insufficient to force a capture or checkmate the opponent, or when the same board position repeats multiple times and no progress is being made. In formal or competitive play, specific rules govern how many moves can be made without a capture before a draw is declared. Draws are relatively common at higher levels of draughts play, as experienced players can often hold defensive positions.