Checkers, also known as draughts, is a two-player strategy board game that is played on an 8x8 board with 12 pieces per player. The game is won by capturing all of the opponent's pieces or trapping their pieces so they cannot make any more moves. Each player starts with 12 pieces, placed on the dark squares of the board. The pieces can only move diagonally and can only capture an opponent's piece by jumping over it. If a piece reaches the opposite side of the board, it is "kinged" and can move and capture in both directions. The game is a simpler version of chess and is often used to teach the basics of strategy to children and beginners.