Play Video Checkers Online

Game Overview

Video Checkers on the Atari 2600 is exactly what it sounds like—classic checkers with that old-school charm. You can play against a friend or test your skills against the computer’s AI, which ramps up from "just learning" to "borderline psychic" across nine difficulty levels. The game sticks to traditional rules: forced jumps, kings waiting a turn before moving again, all that good stuff.

But here’s where it gets interesting: flip the difficulty switches, and suddenly you’re tweaking who goes first or even setting up the board however you want. There’s also a weirdly fun "giveaway" mode (games 11–19) where the goal is to lose all your pieces first—way harder than it sounds.

It’s straightforward, but the AI can actually put up a fight if you crank it up. Just don’t expect flashy graphics—this is pure, grid-based strategy with a side of nostalgia.