Checkers Board Setup: How to Arrange Pieces Correctly

Last updated: Jan 29, 2026

A checkers setup showing the red and black pieces correctly arranged on a wooden checkerboard.

The setup of checkers is the initial point you need to get straight before commencing the game. When the pieces on the board are arranged incorrectly, the game will not make sense and will be questionable. The problem most novices face is not due to a lack of strategic expertise but to a lack of knowledge of the proper setup of the checkerboard.

One is taught how to play checkers properly, making it easier and more enjoyable. Just having the idea of the direction the board moves, as well as where the pieces are placed in order, you will be able to start playing checkers online, focusing more on improvement instead of making corrections.

FAQs

A dark square must be on the lower left-hand side of every player always. His setup is important because all moves in checkers happen only on dark squares. Checking the corner before starting avoids mistakes.
Take a board on which there is a dark square on the bottom left-hand side and fill the first three rows on each side with any dark square only.
No, there are other versions, such as international draughts with bigger boards and more pieces, although the principle of dark squares and initial rows remains the same.