Strategy › Openings

Checkers openings for beginners

There are only seven possible first moves in checkers. Here is what each one does, the names players have given them, and the principles that will keep you safe through the first ten moves of any game.

Moves are written in standard notation. Red moves first and starts on squares 1 to 12, exactly as the first player (Black) does in checkers books, so every line here can be played straight into our game.

The seven first moves

At the start only the four pieces on Red's front row, 9 to 12, can move, and the piece on 12 sits on the edge with just one move. That gives seven choices, and each has a traditional name:

Named openings after 11-15

White's reply gives the opening its name. A few of the best known:

• Cross: 11-15 23-18. White puts a piece on 18, right next to Red's on 15, so the two face each other across the center.
• Dyke: 11-15 22-17 15-19. After White moves to the side, Red pushes its center piece on to 19.
• Switcher: 11-15 21-17. White develops from the edge of its front row instead of the center.
• Single Corner: 11-15 22-18 15x22 25x18. White offers a piece at once; Red must capture, and White recaptures, so the game starts with an even exchange.

One of the most frequently played sequences of all is 11-15 23-19 8-11 22-17, in which both sides take the center and fill in behind it. It's a sound, quiet way to start, and a good choice while you're learning.

Opening principles

Move toward the center

Pieces on 14, 15, 18 and 19 (and, for White, the same squares from the other side) restrict your opponent and support your other pieces. Early moves that head for the center are almost always better than moves to the side.

Fill in behind your advanced pieces

After 11-15, Red usually brings up a piece from the back, such as 8-11, to support it. A piece with support behind it can't be jumped from the front. An advanced piece with an empty square behind it is a target for an exchange or a shot.

Don't rush your back row

Keep some of the pieces on 1 to 4 at home, especially 1 and 3. Moving them early saves no time and gives your opponent a clear path to a king later. See the bridge in the strategy guide.

Before every exchange, look one move further

Most early losses happen when one player offers a trade and the reply is not the expected recapture but a different capture that sets up a double jump. When you offer a piece, check every way your opponent can take it, not only the one you expect, and then check what each capture leaves behind.

Don't memorize; understand

Expert players know long opening lines, but at club level it's far more useful to understand why moves are good. If you follow the principles above and check every capture you allow, you'll reach a reasonable middle game nearly every time.

Opening restrictions in tournaments

Strong players found that unrestricted openings, called "go as you please", led to many draws, because both sides could steer into lines they knew well. Tournaments therefore often use a three-move ballot: the first three moves of each game are drawn at random from an approved list of well over a hundred openings, and the players then play each opening twice, once with each color. Club Checkers doesn't restrict openings, but you can try a ballot of your own: pick three moves at random, set them up in a game against a friend, and play on.

Practice

Start a game against the computer on Medium or Hard and play 11-15 every time as Red, trying the different replies the computer chooses. Then switch to White and see how it opens against you. When you're ready for tactics, continue with shots and combinations.