How to Play Reverse Checkers (and Other Checkers Variants)

Mar 11, 2025

Full size carrom board game.

Whether you’re a Checkers enthusiast looking to spice things up or a curious gamer ready to explore new challenges, trying out new variations can be a great way to strengthen your gameplay. Ready to rethink how you play Checkers? Let’s jump into action!

Reverse Checkers
Triangle Checkers
Corner Checkers
Unlock endless fun with a Carrom board!

How to Play Reverse Checkers

1. What Is Reverse Checkers?

Objective: Unlike regular checkers, where you’re trying to protect your pieces and crown kings, Reverse Checkers flips the script. Your goal is to get rid of your pieces or trap yourself so you can’t move. Yes, you read that right—losing is the new winning!

Setup: Same as regular checkers. You’ve got your 8x8 board, and each player starts with 12 pieces on their side. But here’s the twist: you’re not trying to keep them. You’re trying to lose them. Let the chaos begin!

2. The Rules: How to Lose Like a Pro

Moving Pieces: You move your pieces just like in regular checkers—diagonally forward, one space at a time. But here’s the kicker: you want your opponent to jump you. Every time they capture your piece, you’re one step closer to victory. Woohoo!
Jumping: If your opponent leaves a jump open, you must take it. But in Reverse Checkers, you’re secretly hoping they’ll jump you instead. It’s like reverse psychology on a checkerboard.
Kings? No, Thanks!: In regular checkers, becoming a king is a big deal. In Reverse Checkers? Not so much. Kings can move backward, which means more opportunities to not lose your pieces. Avoid crowning your pieces at all costs—unless you’re feeling risky!

3. Winning Strategies: How to Lose Gracefully

Sacrifice Your Pieces: The more pieces you lose, the better. Set yourself up for jumps, and don’t be afraid to leave your pieces hanging. It’s like saying, “Here, take my pieces—I insist!”
Trap Yourself: If you can’t lose all your pieces, the next best thing is to trap yourself so you can’t move. Block yourself in, and watch your opponent scratch their head as you claim victory.
Avoid Kings: Remember, kings are your enemy in this game. Avoid moving your pieces to the last row unless you’re ready to deal with the consequences. Kings can move backward, which makes it harder to trap. Yikes!

4. Winning the Game: How to Claim Victory

You Win If:

You lose all your pieces first.
You’re left with no legal moves (because you’ve trapped yourself like a pro).
If Both Players Are Stuck: If neither player can move, the one with fewer pieces wins. If it’s a tie, well, you might just have to call it a draw and play again!

How to Play Triangle Checkers

1. What Is Triangle Checkers?

Objective: The goal of triangle checkers is to take over your opponent’s starting positions. It’s like a game of territorial conquest, but with triangles and jumps. Think of it as checkers meets a geometry puzzle!

Setup: Each player gets 10 rings (or pieces) and arranges them in a triangle formation on their side of the board. The base of the triangle has 4 pieces, then 3, then 2, and finally 1 piece at the tip.

2. The Rules: Moving and Jumping

Movement: Pieces can only move forward—diagonally, just like in regular checkers. But here’s the cool part: you can jump over both your own pieces and your opponent’s pieces. It’s like a double-decker sandwich of strategy!
Jumping: If you land in an empty space after a jump, you can keep jumping as long as there are pieces to hop over. This is where things get wild—you can chain jumps together to cover serious ground (or board, in this case).
No Crowns Here: Unlike regular checkers, there’s no crowning or kings in Triangle Checkers. Once your pieces reach the far side of the board, they’re just hanging out, ready to defend their territory.

3. Winning Strategies: How to Dominate the Triangle

Claim Enemy Territory: The ultimate goal is to occupy your opponent’s starting positions. Plan your moves to push your pieces into their triangle while defending your own.
Use Your Own Pieces as Springboards: Since you can jump over your own pieces, use them to set up long, chain-reaction jumps. It’s like playing leapfrog with yourself—but way more strategic.
Block Your Opponent: If you can’t jump into their territory, try to block their pieces from advancing. Sometimes the best offense is a good defense!

4. Breaking a Standstill: The Tiebreaker

If the game comes to a standstill (meaning no one can make a move), the winner is the player who has claimed more of their opponent’s original starting positions. It’s like a game of chess where territory matters more than pieces!

How to Play Corner Checkers

1. The Basics: What’s the Corner Cut?

Objective: Just like regular checkers, the goal is to capture all your opponent’s pieces or block them so they can’t move. But here’s the twist: the corners are where the magic happens. Specifically, the opponent’s corner is the VIP spot for crowning your kings.

Setup: Each player gets 9 pieces arranged in a corner formation. You start with:

1 piece in the corner.
3 pieces in the next row, moving toward the center.
5 pieces in the row after that.

2. The Rules: Moving, Jumping, and Crowning

Movement: Pieces move diagonally forward, just like in standard checkers. You can capture your opponent’s pieces by jumping over them, and if you land in an empty space, you can keep jumping in the same turn. Chain those jumps like a pro!
Crowning Kings: Here’s where Corner Checkers gets interesting. A piece can only be crowned a king if it lands in the opponent’s single corner spot. In this game, the corner is the throne.
Bonus Rule: The three checkers at the base of your side (the ones closest to you) are ineligible for crowning.

3. How to Rule the Corners

Target the Opponent’s Corner: Since that’s the only place you can crown a king, make it your mission to get there. Plan your moves to create pathways for your pieces to reach that coveted corner.
Defend Your Corner: Your opponent is gunning for your corner too, so don’t leave it undefended. Keep an eye on their pieces and block their advances whenever possible.
Use Your Base Pieces Wisely: Those three base pieces can’t be crowned, but they’re still valuable for blocking and capturing. Use them to control the center of the board and create opportunities for your other pieces.

4. Outmaneuver Your Opponent

Corner Checkers is all about controlling the corners and the center. If you can dominate the center of the board, you’ll have more options for moving your pieces toward the opponent’s corner. Watch out for your opponent’s sneaky strategies. They might try to lure your pieces away from your corner or set up traps to block your path to their corner. Stay sharp!

5. Winning the Game