How to Set Up a Draughts Board: Beginner's Step-by-Step Guid
Few games reward a few minutes of learning quite like draughts. The board is simple, the pieces are few, and within one sitting most children grasp enough to give a parent a genuine contest.
Before any of that, though, the board has to be set up the right way round. Get the corners wrong and the whole game drifts into confusion. This guide walks through it step by step, from the first piece to your first crowned king.
If you are buying a set to learn on, look for pieces that have passed UKCA and CE safety testing, as ours do — a small reassurance that matters when younger players are involved. A gentle starting point is our Folding Draughts Set, which packs board and pieces into one tidy case.
What You Need to Play Draughts
Draughts asks very little of you. A standard board has 8×8 squares in alternating dark and light colours, giving 64 squares in total. You need two sets of pieces in contrasting colours, and somewhere flat to play.
Each player starts with 12 pieces, so 24 sit on the board at the outset. Traditional sets supply flat, round counters that stack neatly once a piece is crowned — a small practical detail that matters once the game gets going.
A folding board is hard to beat for learning and for packing away. Our Folding Draughts Set gives you the full complement of pieces in a 12-inch board that closes flat, which suits a kitchen table or a car journey equally well.
If you would rather one set served two purposes, our Wooden Chess Set includes draughts pieces alongside the chessmen, so the same board carries two classic games. It also makes a lasting gift.
You will find both sitting among our traditional games, the quiet, rules-first games that have outlasted most fashions. For broader browsing, our board games cover everything from quick fillers to longer family sessions.
Beyond that, you need nothing more than two willing players and the patience to lose the first few rounds.
How to Set Up a Draughts Board Step by Step
Start by placing the board between the two players. The board must be positioned so that each player has a dark square in the bottom-left corner of their side. This single rule sorts out the whole setup.
In English draughts, only the 32 dark squares are ever used. The light squares stay empty throughout the game, so every piece you place should sit on a dark square.
Each player then takes 12 pieces and fills the dark squares of the three rows nearest to them. Work row by row, left to right, until all three rows on your side are complete.
Do the same for your opponent. When finished, 24 pieces occupy the board, with two empty rows of dark squares in the middle — the no man's land where the opening moves will happen.
Double-check the bottom-left corner on both sides before you begin. If one player has a light square there, simply rotate the board a quarter turn. Everything else follows from getting that corner right.
It helps children to set the board up themselves a few times. The habit fixes the rule in memory far better than being told, and it turns the setup into part of the game rather than a chore.
Once both sides are arranged, decide who plays first. By convention the darker pieces move first, though a quick coin toss settles it just as well for a casual game.
With the board ready, you are one move away from play. If draughts is part of a wider plan for family evenings, you will find more ideas in our round-up of British board games for families.
How to Play Draughts: Basic Rules for Beginners
Play begins with the darker pieces. On your turn, move one piece diagonally forward by one square onto an empty dark square. That is the whole of a basic move.
Capturing is where the game comes alive. If an opponent's piece sits diagonally ahead of yours with an empty square directly beyond it, you jump over it, landing on that empty square and removing the captured piece from the board.
Captures can chain together. If, after a jump, another capture is available with the same piece, you take it in the same turn. Multiple jumps in one move are common and can swing a game quickly.
A piece reaching the opponent's back row is crowned and becomes a king. This is usually marked by stacking a captured piece on top. A king may move backwards as well as forwards, which makes it far more useful than an ordinary piece.
In most rule sets capturing is compulsory where a capture exists, so you cannot simply ignore a jump to keep your pieces safe. This forces thought with every move and stops the game stalling.
Play continues until one side has no legal move left, either because all their pieces are captured or because every piece is blocked. That player loses.
The rules are few enough that a five-year-old can follow them, which is part of why draughts features in our guide to board games for five-year-olds. The challenge grows with the player, not the rulebook.
How to Win at Draughts: Simple Tactics Worth Knowing
Draughts looks simple, but a little thought separates a casual player from a difficult opponent. The first habit worth forming is keeping your back row intact for as long as possible. An unbroken back row denies your opponent easy crownings.
Control of the centre matters too. Pieces in the middle have more directions to move and more squares to threaten, while pieces stranded on the edges have fewer options.
Because captures are usually compulsory, you can set traps. Offer a piece that, once taken, forces your opponent into a position where you capture two or three in return. Sacrificing one piece to win two is a winning trade.
Try to think a move ahead. Before you jump, ask what reply the move invites. Beginners often grab the nearest capture and walk straight into a larger one.
Aim to crown a king as early as you safely can. A king's ability to move backwards lets it chase pieces across the whole board, and two kings against lone pieces is usually a decisive advantage.
In the endgame, drive the opponent's remaining pieces towards the edges and corners, where their movement is most restricted. Trapping is as valid a route to victory as capturing.
Above all, play often. The tactics become instinct with repetition, which is the quiet appeal of a game that lives in a drawer and comes out whenever there are ten minutes to spare. Draughts sits comfortably alongside the other quiet classics in our traditional games.
Draughts Variations and What Changes in the Setup
The game described above is English draughts, also called straight checkers, played on an 8×8 board with 12 pieces each. It is the version most British households know, and the one worth learning first.
International draughts is the main alternative. According to the World Draughts Federation, it is played on a 10×10 board with 20 pieces per side. The larger board changes the setup considerably: four rows of pieces on each side rather than three, and more open territory in the middle.
International rules also treat kings differently, allowing them to glide multiple squares along a diagonal, and captures work across the longer board in ways that reward deeper calculation. The principles, though, carry over once you know the English game.
For most families, an 8×8 board is plenty. A standard set like our Folding Draughts Set handles English draughts perfectly, and the same board doubles for other pastimes if you choose a combined set such as the Wooden Chess Set.
If you enjoy the thinking games, backgammon is a natural next step, and our backgammon board buying guide covers what to look for. For a gift that pairs a game with a puzzle, see our thoughts on presents for an eight-year-old.
Whatever the variation, the setup habit is the same: dark square in the bottom-left, pieces on the dark squares, and the middle left clear. Learn that once and you can set up almost any draughts board on sight.
£9.99 · value · tested to UKCA/CE
£28.99 · gift · tested to UKCA/CE
Shop the range: How to Set Up a Draughts Board: Beginner's Step-by-Step Guid
Our most relevant picks, made by a British family company since 1795.
Frequently Asked Questions About How To Set Up Draughts Board
How do you set up a draughts board?
Place the 8×8 board so that each player has a dark square in the bottom-left corner of their side. Only the 32 dark squares are used for play. Each player takes 12 pieces and places them on the dark squares of the three rows closest to them. One player uses light-coloured pieces, the other uses dark-coloured pieces. This leaves two empty rows of dark squares in the middle of the board. The player with the darker pieces traditionally moves first. You are now ready to play English draughts.
Which colour squares do the draughts pieces go on?
In English draughts, all pieces are placed and moved exclusively on the dark-coloured squares. The board has 64 squares in total — 32 dark and 32 light — but the light squares are never used. Each player arranges their 12 pieces on the dark squares of their three nearest rows at the start of the game. Throughout play, every move and capture also occurs only on dark squares. Positioning the board correctly — with a dark square at the bottom-left corner — ensures the dark squares align properly for each player.
How many pieces does each player start with in draughts?
In English draughts, each player begins with 12 pieces. These are arranged on the dark squares of the three rows nearest to that player, meaning 24 pieces are on the board in total at the start of play. The two central rows of dark squares remain empty, creating the space across which both players will advance and attempt to capture the opponent's pieces. In international draughts, played on a larger 10×10 board, each player starts with 20 pieces instead.
How do you play draughts step by step?
Set up the board with 12 pieces each on the dark squares of your three nearest rows, dark square at bottom-left. Players alternate turns, moving one piece diagonally forward onto an adjacent empty dark square. If an opponent's piece is diagonally adjacent and the square beyond it is empty, you must capture it by jumping over it and removing it from the board. Multiple captures in one turn are allowed. A piece reaching the opponent's back row becomes a king and may move diagonally backwards as well as forwards. The aim is to capture or block all of the opponent's pieces.
What are the rules of draughts for beginners?
In English draughts, pieces move diagonally forward one square at a time on dark squares only. Capturing is mandatory — if you can jump an opponent's piece, you must. Multiple jumps in a single turn are permitted if available. When one of your pieces reaches the opponent's back row, it is crowned a king and gains the ability to move backwards as well as forwards diagonally. A player loses when all their pieces have been captured or they have no legal moves remaining. The board must be set with a dark square at the bottom-left corner for each player.
How do you win at draughts?
You win a game of English draughts by either capturing all of your opponent's pieces or leaving them with no legal moves on their turn. Pieces are captured by jumping over them diagonally to a vacant square beyond, removing the captured piece from the board. Promoting pieces to kings — achieved by reaching the opponent's back row — is a significant advantage, as kings can move both forwards and backwards. Sound strategy involves controlling the centre, protecting your own pieces, and forcing your opponent into positions where capture or a blocked position becomes unavoidable.
What happens when a piece reaches the other side in draughts?
When a piece in English draughts reaches the opponent's back row, it is crowned and becomes a king. A second piece is typically placed on top to mark it. Kings are more powerful than ordinary pieces because they can move diagonally both forwards and backwards, giving them far greater freedom of movement across the board. This rule is a fundamental part of standard English draughts. Promoting pieces to kings is often a key objective in competitive play, as kings can attack and retreat in ways that ordinary pieces cannot.
How many players do you need to play draughts?
Draughts is a two-player game. One player controls the light-coloured pieces and the other controls the dark-coloured pieces. Both players take turns alternately throughout the game. There are no team or multiplayer variants in standard English draughts. The game is well suited to players of all ages and requires no additional equipment beyond the board and 24 playing pieces — 12 per side. Jaques of London produces traditional draughts sets crafted for exactly this classic head-to-head format.
What is the difference between draughts and checkers?
Draughts and checkers refer to the same family of board games; "draughts" is the British English term, while "checkers" is the American English term. The most widely played version in Britain is English draughts, also known as straight checkers, played on an 8×8 board with 12 pieces per side. International draughts, governed by the World Draughts Federation (FMJD), is played on a 10×10 board with 20 pieces per side and has additional rules. The core gameplay — diagonal movement on dark squares and capturing by jumping — is shared across both versions.
Can you move backwards in draughts?
In English draughts, ordinary pieces can only move forwards diagonally — they cannot move backwards. However, once a piece reaches the opponent's back row and is crowned a king, it gains the ability to move diagonally both forwards and backwards. This makes kings considerably more versatile and powerful than standard pieces. The rule allowing kings to move backwards is a standard part of English draughts. In international draughts, kings have even greater range, being able to travel multiple squares diagonally in either direction in a single move.