How to set traps and win quickly in checkers 

Hopefully you can spring some of these traps on your opponents going forward!

Me

Me..

Me

Me😅😅😅too

Hello! Hopefully this video, along with my other videos that focus on good, sound strategy will help you in your games!

Bruh I always beat my dad everyday lol

Me toooo

Same but its my mom

Same even my mom

Thanks for the feedback, Matthew! Yes, I slow down considerably and display the captured pieces more clearly in my later videos. However, I do think repetition is incredibly important, so I'm glad you were able to pause and rewind to take in some of these tactical moves. Thank you for watching!

I slowed it down to x0.5 sometimes I could keep up but when you're holding too many pieces in your hand I couldn't track what you were moving or removing..

​@@zekeyeager2499 Thanks, I completely understand and I appreciate your feedback. I did not take into account that laying the captured pieces out would play such a pivotal role, but I get it now! I do adjust and separate the captured pieces on both sides of the board in my recent videos.

@@azcheckers I respect you for responding this way

@@judahgoddard7734 Thank you! I am always looking for ways to improve the channel and experience! The feedback is immensely appreciated!

I don't know -- some of these traps are well hidden, and can sometimes even catch well-posted players off guard. I find repetition helps when it comes to memory here -- if you play the run up enough times, and become confident with the position, you will be able to pull off these traps.

​@@azcheckershi

Indeed!

@@azcheckers Still, I feel like I am not patient enough and often get beaten on that checkers site. May your talent be praised, champion of Arizona. ;-)

@@p6mkq There are many strong players on both of those websites, so don't be discouraged! Patience is essential to have in checkers, and making the jump from beginner to intermediate to expert does not and will not happen over night. Keep at it!

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dghvUscYL_o.html

Thanks, Mist!

That's great to hear! Hopefully when you come across these situations enough, you will begin to recognize the different formations so memorization won't even be necessary -- you'll just know it!

@@azcheckers What if the rules requires to hit? for example at 6:25 you can't hit backwards? As i played with my friend, we always hit backwards, it's like a must to, so the traps not to work. Please clarify .

Thank you! I appreciate the kind words.

Thank you very much!

Thank you, Joe! I appreciate your comments on this channel. Do you play online at all? Do you play on a checkers app?

@@azcheckers Yes, I play on Fly or Die (I mentioned on another comment that I think I played you a while back). I am in the 400 to 450 category, normally. I am in the 500+ category at the moment although that usually lasts about a week before I drop down again. The grand masters on there are on a different level at the moment.

@@joedoe783 Very good! You must be a very strong player. I don't buy too much into the rating system on that site, but it sounds like you are right up there with the best players!

@@azcheckers ​ I'm okay but I can see there's still a gulf between me and the best players on there. Their strategies are different, and some of their positions look vulnerable/counter intuitive to me, and then out of nowhere, they show they had a plan all along. I sometimes wonder if they're chess players or something, playing checkers for a change. What is it that doesn't sit right with you about the ratings system on FoD?

Thanks for your feedback, and hopefully this video (along with my two other traps videos) will help you earn even more wins! As for the opening that has the most early traps -- it's a great question. I would say as far as tactical pitfalls, the Laird and Lady (11-15, 23-19, 8-11, 22-17, 9-13) would be up near the top. There are also numerous early pitfalls in the Paxton Defense (9-13, 24-19, 10-14, 22-18, 5-9, etc.), and Ryan's Cross (11-15, 23-18, 12-16). Hope this helps, and good luck in your games!

Cross has alot of traps and is very powerful of played correctly.

A very belated Merry Christmas to you as well, my friend!

Thanks, Shane! I have many videos on this channel that cover all of these topics (including one about back row myths). I think you'll find your questions answered on this channel!

​@@azcheckers Thanks, I'll check em out. Stay safe.

Thank you very much!

It's practical and thrilling!

Thank you! I have some additional videos you might enjoy as well that go into deeper detail on some of the basic strategic concepts. Good luck in your games!

It's a good trap!

Thanks for watching!

Thank you for the kind words! While understanding traps and tactical elements in checkers is essential, it's also important to have an understanding of fundamental strategy. Hopefully my other videos will help you as well!

That's really great feedback! I would say some of these traps can be very deceptive, and I have two other videos showing even more deceptive traps that you might play with some success!

Yes -- this video is for English checkers / draughts, but hopefully you are still able to use some of these tactics! Thank you for watching!

@@azcheckers thank you.

@@christerallanmurillo3829 You're welcome!

In Russian checkers we can do the same.

Thank you very much, and I hope these videos help! You can purchase a similar board on the ACF website's store (usacheckers.com).

Thank you very much!

@@jimmilner2961 You're welcome! If there is an aspect of the game you would like me to focus on, or questions that arise when you teach your son, just let me know!

Thank you!

Thank you so much! I have heard similar sentiments about how these traps can be used in other games including Czech draughts, Brazilian draughts, Italian draughts and shashki! There may be some universal traps after all! There are some tournament players that grew up playing shashki (Alex Moiseyev, for example) that transitioned over to the English checkers game very easily! I can tell you that your shashki ability will likely take you very far in the English game! I know playok.com offers a number of checkers variants, including shashki, so if you are ever interested in playing, please let me know!

@@azcheckers It's great to know that professional players have moved from shashki to checkers before, it does seem a lot easier than expected. The lack of flying kings is particularly challenging, since I love to use my kings to trap my opponents, a tactic that I call death lines. However, checkers kings can be deadly too, just in a different way. I have never played in that site playok, but if I join, I will let you know.

​@@Sheilawisz Yes, the endings are vastly different -- flying kings are incredibly powerful! Something I have discovered at least in 10x10 draughts is that game is more based on tactics and brute force visualization compared to English draughts. When I describe English draughts, I usually say it's 70% positional play, and 30% tactical play. Is that about the same for shashki as well? I'm very interested in learning your death lines tactics! I am also curious -- are you playing online on other sites or on any apps? I am always interested in hearing where people are playing. As of right now, I recommend both playok and flyordie as the best sites for over the board play, and itsyourturn and goldtoken for turn-based play.

@@azcheckers From my experience, I can say that shashki is indeed more of a tactical game. The combination of backward capture and flying kings makes it a lot easier to pull a nasty shot, probably with a death line as a result, and doom your opponent way before any endgame can develop. It's a more destructive game, very merciless sometimes, or at least that's how I play. So, 70% tactics and 30% positional, perhaps. The great Tinsley sometimes played this other style called American pool checkers, which is almost identical to shashki, and he said that it lacked the endgame complexity of checkers. A death line is when a flying king is cutting a wide path through the board, so it forms a barrier that the opponent pieces, sometimes five or more, cannot break through. They can only advance towards destruction, while the others beyond the death line are often outnumbered and trapped too. Flying kings are powerful, but their long range also makes them more vulnerable than a checkers king. I sometimes play at lidraughts, not registered yet, but it's the site that I want to try first.

​@@Sheilawisz Fascinating! I really appreciate your explanation and you paint a very clear and vivid picture of the game. I am imagining this death line in shashki as a single king along the single corner diagonal line, preventing any pieces on either side of the board from advancing. That begs another question -- how many kings does it take to win against the game against 1 king? I believe most circumstances, it takes 4 kings to defeat 1 king in 10x10. Is it the same in shashki? The backward jumping really does make it a more tactical game, and of course adding the flying kings contributes to the tactical elements as well. Destructive is a great word to use when describing the mayhem that can occur in the game! There really isn't as much mayhem in English checkers. I am sure there are some highly technical endings in shashki and in pool checkers, but I do agree with Tinsley. Some of the endings require hundreds of key and star moves to execute a win. And really, it's the end game that separates the great player from the world class player. I really appreciate your insight and I'm excited for you to go on this checkers journey! Please let me know how you like lidraughts!

Repetition is key! A lot of these traps may not come naturally, but the more you see them and the more you practice on your board, you'll start to recognize the positions and be able to deploy them in your games! Good luck!

Good question -- it's all the same, just a different order of moves. If the 13x22 jump is taken first (as opposed to the 21x14 jump I show in the video), then red jumps 17x26, 31x22, then the triple with 8x31.

After getting a king (and yes, it can be stuck on square 4 for a while), red will eventually run out of moves. So the king can stay in place, and white can just trade off and reduce the total number of pieces on the board to win.

Hi Jack, I have found repetition to be helpful. These traps are all very natural moves sequences as well, so there is a greater chance your opponent will fall into them. I use the expression "practice makes permanent."

I appreciate the kind words!

Hello! Great question! No, a triple jump does not automatically mean a win. You are correct in that a player will lose if there are no more pieces to move, or if they simply cannot move at all. In these traps videos, the game isn't technically over, but with a competent player handling the side that executes that trap, then a win will happen every time. Hope that helps and clarifies!

@@azcheckers Thanks and yea it helped

I actually talk about some back row strategies, and you can find it in my For Beginners playlist. I think you'll find it helpful!

@@azcheckers ok sure I’ll look thanks bro

@@schrodinger7265 You got it -- here is a direct link to it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fhNyeKF8e7A.html

@@azcheckers oh thanks

You're welcome!

Yes! The first sequence is incredibly natural, so it's really easy to fall into it.

Thanks! It is an official WCDF checker board. You can purchase a similar board on the official American Checker Federation website (usacheckers.com).

@@azcheckers Thank you! I'll check it out.

@@warcomics Please do -- I hope you are able to find a good board! You can also usually purchase boards and pieces at tournaments.

Hi Bryan, thanks for the feedback! I am not on Facebook at the moment. Are you interested in playing online or do you have a specific question? Happy to help with either!

@@azcheckers technically I already play online through an app called Elite Checkers. I was mostly just asking because I tend to follow what I can on Facebook also.

@@bmkretrogaming7634 Ah, very good! Do you like the app and would you recommend it? I don't play on any apps, but I know there are a number available.

@@azcheckers oh yes! They have online, offline, and play against a computer. All styles of play are featured. There are tournaments some of which award cash prizes. It also tracks your performance through an Elo rating.

@@bmkretrogaming7634 Very cool! Someday I'd like to do a comprehensive review of them all (or at least the most popular ones).

You can triple jump in checkers as long as you are moving forward, or really any amount

55 not

It's the only true way to play the game!

I do recommend slowing the video down -- hopefully that will help!

Okay thank you will do. I’m new to the game and didn’t realize the game can be so complexed

@@highclassfilms4102 Welcome to the game! Yes, checkers is an incredibly deep and complicated game -- there's a lot to enjoy and appreciate!

I know in other variants of checkers / draughts, the white pieces do move first. But in American / English checkers / draughts, the red pieces actually go first.

Hello! I am not too sure if such a video or game exists. In American checkers, jumps are mandatory, and it's part of the official rules. I've found a good number of people don't realize that, and it's OK! But officially, forced captures are necessary.

@@azcheckers Okay, good to know. Thank you.

@@Mark_Grand You got it!

Thank you! More tactical videos are coming soon. I realize they are popular, but I hope I can show there is much, much more to learning and mastering this game than basic tactics and traps. I just published a video going over a particular endgame situation you might find interesting.

azcheckers the video is sick I like the idea endgame it’s Amazing

@@abdulmalikrufai2837 Thank you! I plan to go over more endgame positions, and demonstrate the theme and idea behind each one.

I don't believe so -- the white piece on 28 prevents white from pitching 19-15 or 19-16. Are you seeing something differently?

Not a stupid question at all. While the game isn't technically over after executing the traps, a competent player handling the winning side will not lose.

Thank you! The term is called a "huff." However, it has not been enforced or used since probably World War II. In tournaments today, if a player misses a jump, then they are told by either their opponent or referee to take the jump.

Thank you very much for this feedback! I haven't devoted many videos to end game play (they are my least popular videos, and unfortunately they're also probably the least popular aspect of the game to study), but it's something I would like to continue to pursue. I would argue studying the end game is most important in checkers. For first position specifically, Checkercycle has an excellent video which you can find here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zLm7FVic96Y.html Eventually, I will make a video on some of the other critical end game positions to know. Hope this helps!

@@azcheckers thank you :) I'll check his video out! Yes I agree that the endgame is most important! News to know what you're playing towards :) thanks for the reply

@@alexkendall9809 Exactly! I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately many players do seem to neglect it (all classes are guilty of it). At the highest levels of the game, the end game is what sets them apart from each other.

Indeed I do! I just published another traps video today, and you can find additional tactics-based videos under the "Tactics" part of my channel.

I recommend slowing the video down, and repetition helps as well!

Not in this game!

Pause it. Adjust the speed.

Not necessarily. However, in the examples I give, the material and positional advantage is enough to win if being handled by a competent player.

Please check again -- I do remove the piece, but it's done short-hand. I play out all jumps going forward in my videos -- I no longer play short-hand.

I'd be happy to help! If you can provide me with the number sequence for the trap you are falling into, I can navigate you to safety!

It's fair criticism and I appreciate it. I do slow down in my recent videos. I will say repetition will help solidify these tactics into your memory, so multiple viewings is recommended!

If you are a piece ahead in an open position, you should always win the game. Material advantage (usually) will win when a competent player is handling the pieces.

Thank you for this feedback -- I try to really be conscious of my speed, specifically when it comes to jumping. I hope these videos have good replay value, so going back and reviewing each position is something I recommend.

@@azcheckers yes I find your videos very helpful after watching it a second time it doesn't seem as bad but I still think it's a little too fast or maybe it's me since I'm still a novice to traps and game ect

@@garrysmith1029 I appreciate you watching, and my videos are geared toward beginners and new players to checkers. So your feedback means a lot. Hopefully you have seen improvement / more wins in your games! My next video (publishing on Monday morning) will be a comprehensive "beginner's guide," and I do go a bit slower.

Use the slow down button. It's that gear up there, next to the CC for closed captioning. Click the little gear, then set the speed you want.

All openings

Keep practicing, and you will continue to improve!