Planned
Checkers,
your move, Grandpa.
Everyone learned Checkers from someone. A grandparent, a big sister, a neighbor with a board on the porch. Now you can play them again from anywhere: live over FaceTime or Messages, or a move a day, whenever it suits you both. And on your own, a computer opponent that thinks before it moves, and never cheats.
This is our plan for Checkers. Solitaire and Mahjong are out now, and we finish one app at a time, so the details may change before it's ready.
- Price
- Free, optional Pro
- Players
- You, or two together
- Pace
- Live, or over days
- Ads
- None, ever
- Data collected
- None
Your move. Whenever you're ready.
Checkers is a quiet conversation across a board. A move, a pause, a grin when you see the double jump coming. So we made playing together the heart of this app.
One tap, and they're in
Start a game from FaceTime or Messages. Your friend taps once and sits down. No accounts. No codes. No setup. Hosting is free, and joining is free.
Live, or over days
Play live on a call. Or take turns through Game Center, a move whenever you have a minute, one game stretching across the week.
The same board, together
You both see every move the moment it's made. Moved too soon? Undo your own last move, until your friend replies.
Only the people you know
No strangers. No chat rooms. No public tables. Your game travels through Apple, never through us. We never see it, and we like it that way.
A board worth sitting down at
A handsome wooden board. Pieces you can read. And a hint, whenever you want one.
Illustrations of the planned design. The finished app may look different.
How Checkers plays
Two players. Twelve pieces each. Every move on the dark squares.
Move
Pieces move diagonally forward, one square at a time, on the dark squares.
Jump
Jump an opponent's piece to capture it. When you can, chain the jumps together.
Crown
Reach the far row, and your piece becomes a king that moves both ways.
Learn to play Checkers Rules Playbook Best practices
Five things we'll never compromise
Every game we make has to pass the same five tests. Here's how Checkers passes them.
Easy, from the first move
Tap a piece, and every square it can reach is shown. A jump you have to take is pointed out, with the reason. A free hint every game suggests a good move.
Clean and calm
No pop-ups. No badges. No nudges to keep playing. Just the table, the game and the people you're playing with. Take all the time you like.
Private. Completely.
No accounts. No ads. No tracking. On your own, it works offline and nothing leaves your device. With friends, your game travels through Apple, never through us.
Beautiful
A classic wooden board, pieces you can read at a glance, and crowned kings you can't miss. Every detail made by hand, because the people you play with deserve it.
Fun, and fair
The computer sees the same board you do and never cheats. The same position always gets the same move, on every device. Choose how strong it plays, and on your own, undo any move you like.
Checkers for everyone
A readable board. Every move, spoken. And a pace that's entirely yours.
VoiceOver throughout
Every square and piece is announced, and every move is spoken, so you can play Checkers without looking.
Voice and Switch Control
Standard accessibility actions, including a list of the moves you can make.
Sizes that fit
Larger pieces and a larger board when you want them, and full Dynamic Type everywhere else.
High contrast
Pieces you can tell apart by shape and shade, not just color. Never color alone.
Reduce Motion
With Reduce Motion on, pieces fade into place instead of sliding.
Legal moves shown
If you like, see every square a piece can reach.
Free to play. Free to play together.
The whole game is free, and so is every game with friends, hosting and joining. Pro is one optional purchase for players who want more. Nothing to renew. Nothing to remove.
Free
Forever. Not a trial.
- The complete game, on your own or with a friend
- Play with friends: host or join, always free
- Live, or a move at a time over days
- Unlimited undo on your own
- A free hint every game
- Larger pieces and every accessibility feature
- Works offline on your own, no account needed
Pay once
A single optional purchase.
- More hints in each game
- Coach: a quiet note when there's a better play, and why
- Practice: short drills for the trickiest positions
- Themes for the board and pieces
- Named saved games, as many as you like, each with a note
- 8-bit mode: your own table, drawn in retro pixels
- Saved games, synced through your iCloud
- Detailed stats and streaks
One-time purchase. Yours forever.
What's in Pro, and its price, will be decided closer to release. The full game will always be free.
Good to know
Can I play with friends?
Yes. That's what it's for. Play over FaceTime or Messages with SharePlay, or through Game Center, live or taking turns over days. Always free, with no accounts and no servers of ours.
Does my friend need Pro?
No. Your friend needs Checkers, which is free, and one tap. Never Pro, never an account, never a sign-in.
When will Checkers be released?
Solitaire and Mahjong are out now, and Checkers comes later. We make one app at a time, and we don't announce dates we can't keep. The day it's ready, this page gets a download link.
Will it cost anything?
Not to play. Checkers will be free to download, and the whole game free to play, on your own or with friends. Pro will be an optional one-time purchase. There will never be ads or a subscription.
Does the computer cheat?
No. It plays by the same rules and sees the same board you do, nothing more. In Checkers there's nothing hidden to peek at, and it doesn't try.
Do I need an internet connection or an account?
Never an account. Playing on your own works fully offline, and your games and stats stay on your device. Playing with friends far away needs a connection, and that's all it needs.
Will it come to Android?
Yes, that's the plan. The whole collection comes to Android after the iPhone and iPad apps.
Data Not Collected
That's the App Store privacy label on every app we make, Checkers included. No accounts. No analytics. No advertising. Nothing you do in the app ever reaches us.
Coming later to iPhone and iPad.
Solitaire and Mahjong are out now, and Checkers comes later. We don't collect email addresses, so there's no list to join. Check back here, and meet Solitaire while you wait.