Lines of Action

About Lines of Action

Lines of Action is the modern connection classic, played against the Netmender on the plain eight-by-eight board: twelve checkers a side, and one goal — gather every checker you have left into a single connected body before your opponent does. Captures serve connection, never themselves. Play solo or live at the open tables, free in your browser, no ads, no sign-up.

How to play

Your checkers begin along the top and bottom ranks, your opponent’s down the two files. A checker moves in a straight line — any of the eight directions — and travels exactly as many squares as there are checkers, friend and foe together, anywhere on that line. It may fly over your own checkers, never over the enemy’s, and may land on an enemy checker to take it. The moment all of a side’s checkers stand connected — corners count, and a lone survivor counts — that side wins; if one move joins both sides at once, the mover takes it. A position repeated three times is drawn.

Controls

• Tap or click a checkerPick it up
• Tap a marked squareFly it there

Tips

Count both colours before you move: every arrival and departure changes the lines for everyone. Gather toward the middle, not an edge — the centre reaches everywhere. And remember a capture cuts two ways: thinning the enemy makes their gathering smaller and faster, so take only what helps you connect.