According to standard checkers rules, capturing is mandatory. If a jump or multiple jumps are available they must be taken.
Failing to make an available capture is an illegal move, and the correct move must be made instead. But there’s an old, and now optional, rule in checkers that you can try if you want—the huffing rule.
Huffing Rule in Checkers
Instead of jumping being mandatory, it’s made optional with a penalty for failing to make an available jump, called huffing.
If a player doesn’t make an available jump, their opponent can point it out and then remove the piece that could have made the jump. This player now takes their own turn like normal.
It doesn’t matter if the player failed to jump on purpose or accidentally, and it’s up to the other player to call the huff.
I hope this has explained the huffing rule in draughts or checkers. If you don’t like the mandatory jumping rule, give it a try!
