One strategy that can help you win at checkers is keeping your back row in place for as long as you can that will make it impossible for your opponent to crown one of their pieces early on in the game focus on crowning more pieces than your opponent which will give you a competitive edge one way to crown more pieces is to play exclusively on the left or right side of the board so your opponent moves a lot of their pieces to that side then advance your pieces on the other half of the . Playing checkers 1 start the game the player with the black checkers moves first checkers may only move one diagonal space forward 2 jump and capture your opponents checkers if your checker is located in the diagonal space nearest to your 3 king your checkers when they reach the end of . Basic strategies for winning at checkers control the center for beginners the first strategy one often figures out is to place your checkers on the edge of the checkers is not a game that can be won by playing defensively due to the possibility of forced moves where your your goal should