Heads Up! Chess is NO SAME as Checkers! So, what’s the difference between chess and checkers?

Of course, there is a difference between chess and checkers. While they have many differences, one drastic difference is their primary goal. Checkers aim to take all the pieces of the opponent, while in the game of Chess, the players try to checkmate the opponent’s king.

That is one difference; there are many such differences. So, are you eager to know the difference between chess and checkers? Read on this article to find out!

But firstly, we will discuss reasonably on both chess and checkers.

Chess Games

Chess is a game that requires mind play. The Indians originated this board game in the 6th century under the rule of the Gupta Dynasty.

The basics of this game are two players facing each other with 16 pieces on their chess board to protect their kind piece. While the player tries to trap their opponent’s king, he will set the trap by laying all his other pieces until he finally gives the defeating blow to the opponent’s king.

How to Play the Game of Chess?

In the game of chess, each player will have their turns, and they will move their piece in a way that tries to capture the square of their opponent, and this will mean that they have captured the piece of their opponent’s pieces.

When the opposite player captures that square, the opponent’s piece is permanently removed from the board. In this manner, one can take the lead and finally capture the opponent’s king.

Know your Chess Pieces

To know how to play chess, one must first identify the chess pieces and its ability:

1. King

King is the most critical piece in the game of chess. You are required to protect your king at any cost. For this, you can follow any gaming strategy like castling, where the players hide their king behind all other pieces to safeguard it.

The king can move only one square at each chance. It can move forward, backward or in a sideways direction. Take care of your king; you will lose the game if it dies!

2. Queen:

The queen is the most powerful piece on your chess board. The piece is worth 9 points!

Try to use your queen in that later part of the game than in the beginning, as at the start of the game, there is a risk of getting captured, which will lead to loss. Like the king, try not to involve your queen much; save it for later attacks.

3. Rook

The rooks are placed towards the second position after the queen on each side. They are worth 5 points. The rooks are activated soon after the opening game.

They cannot move diagonally like the king and queen pieces; they can only move vertically and horizontally.

Bishop

The foremost advice here is to use bishops in pairs to gain advantage! These pieces are of 3 points and can move diagonally across the board.

Knights

The Knights are also worth three-pointers. They are the most respected piece in the board game, as their gameplay is tricky. They can jump and skip the other pieces. They can move two squares in a direction.

Pawns

Pawns are the least worthwhile pieces in chess, but they hold the spirit of the game. These pawns move one square forward while they can move two squares forward on their first move itself.

These pieces can capture the piece in front of them, which is only placed diagonally.

Checkers Games

Checkers is a two-player board game that started 3000 years ago. This game involved a lot of strategy,, just like the game of chess.

The game is played diagonally by moving the pieces in 64 squares on an 8×8 matrixed grid. To win in the game of checkers, you must attempt to clear out all the pieces of your opponents and be the winner with the most game pieces on the board.

How to Play Checkers?

There are some basic rules to be followed while playing the checkers game:

1. The players start with their turn. Their turns come in every alternate time.
2. The players can move their pieces only.
3. The dark squares on the checker’s board must be covered, while the white ones must be left empty.
4. You can move your piece only diagonally on an empty square.
5. You can also jump forward to the next square if it is empty.
6. You will have to aim an empty square adjacent to your opponent’s pieces to eliminate your opponent’s piece.
7. All the pieces of the payers are regarded as ‘man’, but once they reach the further side of the board, they are known as the ‘king’.
8. Now, the king piece can move diagonally backward and forward.

What’s the Difference between Chess and Checkers? – 10 Differences Spotted

Now that you know both these games and also have a fair idea of how to play checkers and chess game, it is time to know the differences between them:

1. Game Pieces

Both chess and checkers have pieces, but in chess, the players are given 16 works, among which there are six different types of pieces.

While in the game of chess, the players are given 12 pieces of the same type.

2. Promotion of the Pieces

In chess, you can level up your pawns into a rook, bishop, knight or queen after the 7th rank.

In the game of checkers, one can only promote pieces to the level of the king.

3. Main Aim of the Game

The main objective of chess is to capture all the pieces surrounding the king and then finally trap it to give the final hit.

In the game of checkers, the main aim is to be the player with the most pieces standing on the board.

4. The Royal Outlook

In chess, all the pieces are given royal identities, whether bishop, king, queen or knight.

There are no such royal identities in the game of checkers unless any piece is leveled up to a king.

5. The Complexity of the Game

Chess is a game that requires an intelligent mind to handle all the complex combinations.

The game of checkers can be tricky but not as complex as the game of chess.

6. Movement of the pieces

The pieces in the game of chess have their movement, meaning each game can move strategically on its own.

In the game of checkers, all the pieces have the same move.

7. The Capture Game

In chess, the opponent’s piece captures the pieces if they are moved on the square already occupied by your piece.

In checkers, the opponent’s pieces can be captured by moving their piece diagonally to an empty square next to the already occupied square by your opponent.

8. Who moves first?

In Chess, the white piece moves first.

And in checkers, the black moves first.

9. Filling the Squares

Both light and dark-coloured chess squares can be filled and played on.

While in the game of checkers, the players are required to play only on the darker-colored squares.

10. Penalties in the game

There are no such penalties in chess if you do not capture one piece.

In the game of checkers, if you miss capturing one piece, your piece itself will be eliminated.

Key Takeaways

Both chess and checkers are fun games that require minds to play and strategies to follow.

Chess requires more attention and in-depth gaming methods, while checkers is an easygoing game compared to chess. One must learn these games once in one’s lifetime as they are worthwhile to play!

The difference we have learned here has made choosing what to play according to our interests easier.

FAQs

1. Is there any difference between chess and checkers?

Ans. Yes. The significant difference between chess and checkers is that you must capture all your opponent’s pieces and give the final blow to the king piece. While in the game of checkers, you need to have the maximum number of pieces left on the board till the end.

2. What is meant by the idiom ‘Chess Vs Checkers’?

Ans. This means that you are playing the game of checkers thinking very narrowly and taking only one decision ahead, while the one playing chess is feeling much more broadly and considering many more things.

3. Can I play chess if I play checkers?

Ans. Yes, one can also play chess after playing checkers. This way will be easier than freshly starting with chess, as chess is complicated. Checkers is the warm-up to playing chess.

4. Which one is the oldest?

Ans. Checkers are much older than chess. Checkers was played dating back to 3000 BCE. At the same time, chess was first played by the Indians in the 6th century during the Gupta Dynasty.

Last Updated on February 23, 2024 by Priya