Checkers Puzzle for 30 October 2026 — Red to move

The idea

A multi-jump lets one piece capture several opponents in a single turn. Follow every landing square before choosing the first jump: removing a piece can open a new diagonal or make a backward capture available. Men may capture backward, and flying kings may have several landing choices beyond an enemy piece. A capture must continue while another jump is available, except that crowning ends the turn. You may choose among legal branches; you do not have to take the branch with the most captures. Compare the complete routes, the pieces removed and the safety of the final square.

Red to move. Red has 6 men on 1, 2, 4, 5, 11 and 14; Black has 7 men on 6, 18, 19, 28, 29, 31 and 32. Red has 1 fewer man than Black. Black has a man in Red's half against 0 coming the other way. Red has 3 legal full turns to compare: 3 capture lines and 0 quiet choices. A capture chain is one turn, even when the piece changes direction. Look at its final landing square before committing to the first jump.

Solution: 14x23x16. Red jumps 14x23x16, removing the men on 18 and 19. After this combination, Red has 6 men and Black has 5 men. The game continues from this position. One continuation from the search is 32-27 1x10 29-25 5-9 25-22 16-19 22-18 19-23.

Alternative 2x9: one sample line is 2x9 19-16 11x20. Red's 2x9 removes the man on 6. Red's 11x20 removes the man on 16. The board then has 6 men for Red and 5 men for Black. Alternative 1x10: one sample line is 1x10 18x9 5x14. Red's 1x10 removes the man on 6. Black's 18x9 removes the man on 14. Red's 5x14 removes the man on 9. The board then has 5 men for Red and 5 men for Black. Compare these sample lines with the solution and check other legal replies before judging the resulting position.

Play a real game