English checkers · Kings

Crowned mid-jump: the chain stops

In English checkers, a capture that lands on the king row has a special ending. The man is crowned at once, and his turn ends — even if another jump is sitting right there.

4 min · 4 steps

This is the written edition of an interactive Boardgammon lesson — in the app, the coach narrates while you play every move on a live board.

Step 1 · A special ending

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On the board: King row

In English checkers, a capture that lands on the king row has a special ending. The man is crowned at once, and his turn ends — even if another jump is sitting right there.

Coach narration

Step 2 · What happens after the jump?

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The dark man can jump into the king row, and a second light man stands just beyond the landing square. What happens after the jump?

Choose the English crowning rule.

Quick check

  • The man is crowned and the turn ends
  • It keeps jumping as a new king
  • It may refuse the crown to keep jumping
Show the correct answer

Correct answer: The man is crowned and the turn ends — Correct. The crown is earned on the spot, and the chain stops — the second light man survives this turn.

  • It keeps jumping as a new king — That is the Russian draughts rule. English checkers stops the chain the moment the crown is earned.
  • It may refuse the crown to keep jumping — Crowning is automatic on the king row. There is no refusing it, and the turn still ends.

Coach narration

Step 3 · Take the crowning jump

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On the board: Crown here

Take the jump into the king row and watch the turn end at the crown.

Tap the dark man, then tap the highlighted king-row square beyond the light piece.

The move: 22x31

Crowned — and the turn is over. The second light man survives for now.

Common mistake: Jump over the light piece and land on the highlighted king-row square.

Coach narration

Step 4 · Plan around the crown

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The surviving light man shows the rule at work. Plan crowning jumps carefully: a chain you can see on the board may still end at the crown.

Coach narration

What you learned

You can now apply the English crowning rule: a capture into the king row crowns the man and ends the turn, even when more jumps look available.

Coach narration