checkers

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   US: a two-player board game in which pieces move diagonally and capture opposing pieces by jumping over them; draughts

   They played checkers beside the fire until midnight.

The plural game name comes from checker, a piece or square on a checkered board. Checker belongs to the same chess-derived family as check, ultimately from Persian shah, 'king,' through Arabic and French. Historical chequers can name the same game but also has unrelated uses.

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