How to play › BOARD & CARDS
CHECKERS
Checkers in the back room of the Lantern Inn, played by American rules on an 8x8 board. Face the pot-boy PIP, the innkeeper MARGUERITE or THE ABBOT, or pass the board to a friend.
PLAY NOW ▶The goal
Take every one of your opponent's men, or leave them with no legal move. A side that cannot move loses.
How a game plays
Men move diagonally forward one square. Captures are forced: if you can jump, you must, and the men that have to take are ringed in gold. A chain of jumps is taken to its end, one landing at a time, though you may pick any chain, not only the longest. A man that reaches the far row is crowned a king, and his move ends there.
A game is drawn after 40 moves each without a capture or a man moving, or when the same position comes up three times. During play the menu offers TAKE BACK, HINT and RESIGN. A win scores more for every man you keep and for finishing in fewer moves, and harder opponents multiply the score.
Controls
| Keyboard | Pad | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Arrows | Stick / d-pad | Move the cursor |
| Z | A | Pick up a man, then place it on a green square |
| X | B | Put the man down, or open the game menu |
| C | C | Hint |
| Q / E | L / R | Jump to the next man that can move, or the next landing |
Hold Z to hurry the computer along while it is thinking.
On a phone or tablet you can simply tap the board: tap a piece to pick it up and tap a lit square to move it. The see-through joystick and A, B, C, L and R buttons over the game work too, and match the keys above.
Gamepad: the stick or d-pad moves and the buttons follow the Pad column (Start is START). Esc, P or Back pauses, and the HOW TO PLAY button over the game shows the basics any time.
Modes
- VS COMPUTER: choose to play RED (you move first) or IVORY (second). Your opponent follows the arcade's difficulty setting: PIP on EASY, MARGUERITE on NORMAL and THE ABBOT on HARD.
- PASS AND PLAY: two players share one screen.
- KINGS: SHORT STEPS is the standard rule. FLYING lets crowned men glide the whole diagonal and capture from a distance.
- TODAY'S BALLOT: the daily game, below.
Mastery stars
Each star pays tickets the first time you earn it.
- Bronze: A Game at the Lantern: beat the computer at any level.
- Silver: The Abbot Bows: beat THE ABBOT (HARD).
- Gold: No Take-Backs: beat THE ABBOT without a take-back or a hint.
Daily challenge
Yes. TODAY'S BALLOT gives everyone the same four-move opening against MARGUERITE on NORMAL, with short-step kings and no hints or take-backs. Win quickly and keep as many men as you can for the best score.
Beginner tips
- Because captures are forced, you can bait the computer: offer one man where the jump lands its piece in front of a double jump of yours.
- Keep your back row filled for as long as you can. While those squares are occupied, the other side cannot crown a man there.
- Move in groups. A man standing alone in the middle of the board is easy to trap into a forced capture.
- Race for a king in the endgame. A king moves backwards too and can hunt down stragglers.
- Press Q or E when you are not sure what to move. It cycles through only the men that can legally move.