There are three ways to play checkers with friends, and which one fits depends on where your friend is. If you are in the same place, pass one phone back and forth. If you are apart, create a private room and send a 6-character code (or show a QR code). If nobody is around yet, play the computer. In VSPocket all three are in the same app and all three are free, and only the online room asks you to log in.
We're the team behind VSPocket. Checkers is one of the oldest games we ship, and "let's play a game" with a friend is the situation we designed the room feature around. What we kept running into on other options was the same small friction: finding the person you actually want to play against. A public matchmaking lobby hands you a stranger. A friend is someone you already have a chat open with, so the whole job is getting two phones onto the same board. This article explains how we did that, and how it compares with the other ways to play.
Send a 6-character code and your friend is at the board.
VSPocket packs 18 classic games, including checkers, into one app. Play on one phone, against the computer, or in an online room. All free, on iPhone and Android.
Three ways to play checkers with friends
The first split is whether you are physically together. If you are, you do not need the internet at all: put one phone between you and take turns. That is pass and play, and it works without a connection or a login. If you are apart, you need both phones looking at the same board, and the question becomes how you get your friend in. A lot of checkers sites are built around public matchmaking, where you are paired with whoever is waiting. A private room flips that around: you create the table, then invite the one person you meant to play.
| Public matchmaking sites | Private room by code (VSPocket) | Same-phone pass and play (VSPocket) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who you play | Usually whoever is waiting. Some sites also offer an invite link for a friend | The friend you send the code to | The person next to you |
| Account needed | Varies by site | Yes, Apple or Google login for the online room | No login |
| Ads | Varies by site | None | None |
| Rule settings | Many let you pick a variant such as American, International or Russian | American (English) checkers only. No other variants | American (English) checkers only |
| Players | 2 per game | 2 play checkers. A room holds up to 6 people, and anyone not seated just watches | 2 |
| Chat | Varies by site | No text chat in the app. Talk on a call or in the chat you already use | You are sitting next to each other |
| Needs internet | Yes | Yes | No |
We want to be straightforward about the rules row. If you care about international draughts or Russian draughts, VSPocket does not do that: our checkers is American (English) checkers on an 8×8 board, and that is the only variant in the app. The next section explains what that means in practice. If you were hoping for a rated ladder or a public lobby, VSPocket does not do that either. We put the weight on playing people you know.
We didn't add free-text chat to the room on purpose. When two friends play checkers, they usually already have a call or a message thread open, and a second chat window just competes with it. Reading a typed message while you are working out a double jump is a bad trade. So the room keeps to the board and the people.
Play checkers online with a friend in VSPocket
One of you creates the room and the other joins it. Both of you need VSPocket on your phone, and both of you log in with Apple or Google, because that is what the online room needs. Nothing else in the app asks for a login.
- Both of you install VSPocket and open it.
- The host taps Online, then Create room, and logs in with Apple or Google the first time.
- The app shows a 6-character room code, with a QR code option. Send the code by message, or have your friend scan the QR with their camera.
- Your friend taps Online, then joins with the code (or the QR), logging in the same way if they have not yet.
- When your friend appears in the room, the host chooses Checkers and who sits down, then starts the game.
- Play. You can resign at any point. When the game ends, you both return to the room.
- From the room you can play again or pick a different game without making a new room. The room keeps a win and loss tally while it is open.
The reason we put a room between the two of you, instead of a "find a match" button, is that a code is something you can hand to anyone. It works the same for a friend in the next room and for one in another country. The code is six characters, short enough to read out loud over a call or type from a message. And because the room stays after the game, the usual rematch ("best of three?") is two taps rather than a new round of invites.
Have your friend install the app before you send the code.
Available for iOS / Android · No registration required
American checkers vs international draughts: what changes online
Before you invite a friend, agree on which checkers you are playing. "Checkers" in the US usually means American (English) checkers on an 8×8 board. In much of Europe and elsewhere, "draughts" often means the international game on a 10×10 board, and Russian draughts is another 8×8 game with different capture rules. They look alike on a screen, but a move that is legal in one can be illegal in another, and that is how a friendly game turns into an argument.
| American (English) checkers (what VSPocket uses) | International draughts | Russian draughts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | 8×8, dark squares only | 10×10 | 8×8 |
| Pieces each | 12 | 20 | 12 |
| Can a regular piece capture backward? | No. Only kings go backward | Yes | Yes |
| How far does a king move? | One square, in any diagonal direction | Any distance along a diagonal ("flying" king) | Any distance along a diagonal ("flying" king) |
| Must you capture? | Yes. If several captures exist, you may choose any of them | Yes, and you must take the sequence that captures the most pieces | Yes, but you may choose any sequence |
| Multi-jumps | You keep jumping with the same piece while you can. If a regular piece reaches the far row mid-jump, the turn ends there | You keep jumping while you can | You keep jumping while you can. A piece that reaches the far row mid-jump becomes a king and carries on |
VSPocket's checkers follows American rules: 8×8 board, 12 pieces each, regular pieces move and capture only forward, kings move one square in either diagonal direction, and captures are mandatory. When one capture is available you have to take it, and you cannot stop partway through a chain of jumps. We have no rule that forces you to choose the longest capture. If a regular piece reaches the far row during a jump, it becomes a king and your turn ends there. The app also calls a draw when 80 half-moves in a row go by with only king moves and no captures, so a game with two lonely kings does not run forever.
If you and your friend learned the game under another variant, say so before the first move. The most common disagreement is backward capture, and we cover that in detail in our checkers rules guide. The short version: in VSPocket, a regular piece cannot capture backward, and the app will not let you try.
Tips for playing while you're on a call
Most friends who play online do it with a call running: a voice call, a video call, whatever you already use. Checkers is a good fit for that, because the game is quiet and slow enough to talk through. The room does not touch your call, so keep it running in the background and use the app only for the board.
A few small habits help. Agree on the variant out loud first, even if it feels unnecessary. Say your move as you make it, since the board updates for your friend within a few seconds rather than instantly, and a spoken "jumping the one on the left" keeps you both looking at the same part of the board. And since captures are forced in this version, a quiet "you have to take that, you know" is half the fun of a friendly game. If someone's connection drops, they can rejoin with the same code as long as the room is still open.
If your friend is still on the way to the app store, you do not have to sit and wait. Pick Computer as your opponent, choose a level from one to five stars, and play a quick game while they install. The computer works offline and moves within three seconds, so it makes a good warm-up for the real game.
VSPocket
Checkers, chess, Reversi, Gomoku, shogi, Daifugo, mahjong and more: 18 classic games in one app. Play on one phone, against the computer, or in an online room with a 6-character code. All free, no purchases, on iPhone and Android.
Learn more about VSPocketFrequently asked questions
Do we both need the app?
For an online room, yes. Each of you needs VSPocket on your own phone and logs in with Apple or Google. For pass and play on one phone, only that one phone needs the app.
Is it free, and is there a login?
VSPocket is free to play, with no purchases and no play limits. The only thing that needs a login is the online room, which uses an Apple or Google account. Computer games and pass and play on one phone work without logging in.
Can we play on one phone?
Yes. Choose Two Players, put the phone between you, and take turns. It needs no internet and no login, so it also works on a plane or in a basement.
Can I play against the computer while I wait for my friend?
Yes. Choose Computer as your opponent and pick a level from one to five stars. The computer moves within three seconds and works offline, so you can play a game while your friend installs the app.