Free Printable Checkers Board Game

Need a great game to take on holiday that won’t take up too much space in the bag? Maybe a game to keep kids amused at a restaurant that won’t make you feel like you’ve packed the whole toy box? Perhaps, you just need a nice rainy day game to play at home without filling your house with even more toys?

We’ve got a brilliant classic for you! Our free, printable checkers board game is ready for you to download, print and play. You may also know the game as checkers.

If you need a reminder of the rules we have sorted that for you too.

Our Printable Checkers Board Game And Pieces Includes

Inside this free checkers printable, you’ll find a simple black-and-white 8×8 game board ready to print and use straight away. Just grab some coins, buttons, or cut out the printable checker pieces and you’re good to go. The board fits neatly on one page, so there’s no cutting and sticking just print it out and start playing.

We’ve also included easy instructions that explain how to set up and play, so even if you’ve never played checkers before, you’ll pick it up quickly. It’s a great game for rainy days, quiet time, or even to use in the classroom. Print as many copies as you like it’s all completely free.

How to set up The Game

Draughts is fantastic as it’s so quick and easy to set up. No counting out monopoly money!

Download our free printable checkers board and pieces.
Print in colour or black and white, if you don’t have a printer at home your local library might offer printing services.
Cut out the printable checker pieces
Choose which player will use the dark pieces and which will use the light pieces.
Each player sets up their side of the board by placing all their blank pieces on the black squares. The crown pieces are saved for later in the game.

printable checkers rules

The rules of checkers are nice and simple for little ones to pick up so you will be playing in no time.

Players take it in turns to move.
Only the black squares on the board are used.
The pieces can only move diagonally into an adjacent black square.
The blank pieces can only move diagonally forwards.
If a piece makes it to the other side of the board they are ‘crowned’ and become kings. This means the blank playing piece will be swapped for a piece with a crown.
Kings are able to move diagonally backwards and forwards.

How to ‘take’ an opponent’s piece

Having a piece taken can be a bit tough for little ones at first as many find it hard to deal with ‘losing’. However, this is an essential experience to help develop empathy and resilience. The great thing about draughts is that instead of losing the whole game they only lose one piece and get to experience winning on the very next turn when they take one of your pieces.

A piece can be taken by jumping over it diagonally. There must be an empty space behind the opponent’s piece to jump into.
Multiple pieces can be ‘taken’ in one turn if they can be jumped one after the other. The jumps must be diagonal but do not have to be in a straight diagonal line, they can zigzag.
Remember, blank pieces can only jump diagonally forwards, towards the opponent’s side.
Kings may jump diagonally backwards, toward their original side.

How to Win

The player who takes all of the opponent’s pieces first is the winner!

Other Printable Board Games

If you’ve had fun with our printable checkers board, don’t miss our other classic games you can print and play at home. We’ve got a brilliant printable chess set that comes with a simple board and all the pieces ready to cut out. It’s great for beginners just learning the moves, or for anyone who wants a quick and easy way to play without digging out a full chess set. It’s perfect for quiet afternoons, classroom fun, or even a rainy-day challenge.

Another favourite is our Connect 4 printable game – just like the one you know and love! Print the board and counters, then take turns trying to get four in a row. It’s super easy to set up and great for keeping the kids entertained while giving their brains a little workout. All our printable games are totally free and designed to be simple, fun, and ready to play in minutes.