Holding the Cards

Games & Cards

Can a Single Checker Jump a King?

Checkers is an easy game to learn, but there are always questions around the jumping rules. Here’s a common one about the rules around kings.

Can a Single Checker Jump a King?

Yes. A single checker can jump a king. Both types of pieces—regular and kings—can jump each other.

A regular checker can only jump a king diagonally forward, the same way it can jump a single checker.

A king doesn’t have any special defensive ability. They can be jumped just like the regular pieces. Of course, with a king, you have more freedom of movement to try to avoid getting jumped, but that’s it. If a king is in position to be jumped, it will get taken.

To sum up:

  • A single checker can jump an enemy king
  • A single checker can’t jump a friendly king

I hope this answered your question about whether a single checker can jump a king. Now that you’re ready to start playing, check out the full checkers rules, improve your strategy and set up the board.

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