English draughts (British English) or checkers (American English and Canadian English), also called American checkers or Straight checkers, is a form of the strategy board game draughts. It is played on an 8×8 chequered board with twelve pieces per side. The pieces move and capture diagonally forward, until they reach the opposite end of the board, when they are crowned and may thereafter move and capture both backward and forward.
As in all forms of draughts, English draughts is played by two opponents, alternating turns on opposite sides of the gameboard. The pieces are traditionally black, red, or white. Enemy pieces are captured by jumping over them.
Standard English Draughts board
Though pieces are traditionally made of wood, now many are made of plastic, though other materials may be used. Pieces are typically flat and cylindrical. They are invariably split into one darker and one lighter colour.
Traditionally and in tournaments, these colours are white and red, but black and red are common in the United States, and light- and dark-stained wooden pieces are supplied with more expensive sets. There are two classes of pieces: men and kings. Kings are differentiated as consisting of two normal pieces of the same colour, stacked one on top of the other. Often indentations are added to the pieces to aid stacking.