Are these board games free, and do I have to install anything?

They are free, and there is nothing to install. Checkers, Four in a Row and Dominoes run inside the web page itself, in any current browser on a computer, tablet or phone. You don't sign up, give an email address or create an account, and there is no pop-up or anything else that covers the board while you are playing.

The board looks small. Can I make it bigger?

Browser zoom enlarges the whole board: hold Ctrl and press the plus key on Windows, or Command and plus on a Mac, and on a tablet or phone put two fingers on the screen and spread them apart. The site's own display button, in the bottom-right corner, sets text size and high contrast for the page; that reaches the Dominoes tiles, but not Checkers or Four in a Row, which sit inside their own frame.

Can I take a move back if I make a mistake?

In Dominoes, as often as you like: Undo takes back your tile together with the computer's reply, so you can try a different one and watch how it plays out. Checkers and Four in a Row have no undo. They are open-source games hosted here as their authors built them, and a piece put down stays down. Both will start again at any moment, though, with New Game and Restart.

Can I play against another person instead of the computer?

Yes, in Checkers. Choose Two Players on the opening menu and the pair of you take turns on the same screen, a tap each. Four in a Row and Dominoes are played against the computer only. None of the six connects you to anybody over the internet, so there is nobody waiting on you, no chat, and no stranger watching how long you take over a move.

What happens if I close the page in the middle of a game?

The position is lost and you would begin a fresh game next time, since half-played boards are not saved and nothing about your game is stored on my server. Nothing carries over between visits in any case. If you want to break off and come back to it, leave the tab open rather than closing it.

Is Checkers the same game as Draughts?

Yes, Draughts is the British name for the game Americans call checkers, and this is that game. Before the board appears you can pick the Italian or the English version, with Italian already selected. The game lists the differences for you under Rules: which colour starts, whether an ordinary piece may capture a King, and whether you must take the longest run of captures when several are open.

Free Board Games Online — Play the Computer

Board games are the ones with an opponent. There are six here: Checkers, Four in a Row, Dominoes, Reversi and Backgammon, which each play against the computer in your browser, and Five Dice, a dice game with a scorecard. None of the six puts a clock on your move or asks you to drag anything; every move is a click or a tap. Checkers can also be played by two people sharing one screen.

Which one should I start with?

Four in a Row: Start here if you would rather not learn any rules at all: one decision a turn, the whole column as your target, and a game short enough to finish in one sitting.
Dominoes: Best if you would rather be taught as you go. This is one of mine, so the Hint names a tile, says which end it goes against and explains the reasoning in plain language, and Undo takes back your move along with the computer's reply, as often as you like.
Checkers: For a longer, slower game you can think several moves ahead in, against Easy, Medium or Hard, or with somebody sharing the screen. It is an open-source version hosted here, so there is no undo and a piece put down stays down.
Reversi: For a board where every legal move is marked, so there is no hunting for one. Three difficulty levels, and a Hint that names the reason for a move.
Backgammon: The full game against the computer. Tap a checker and every point it can reach lights up, and Undo steps back within your turn.
Five Dice: A dice game with a scorecard instead of a board. Hold the dice you like, and the scorecard shows what each category is worth right now.

How Checkers, Four in a Row and Dominoes differ

Four in a Row asks one question a turn: which column. Your disc falls to the lowest free slot, so the whole column is the target and nothing has to be aimed at precisely. Checkers is the long one: twelve pieces a side, moving along the diagonals, with a position that builds over many turns. Dominoes is the least board-like of the three: you are matching a number against the number at either end of a line, and the skill lies in which tiles you hold back.

They also differ in how much you can set. Checkers offers Easy, Medium or Hard, but only once you have chosen to play the computer rather than a person. Four in a Row has a box marked Depth, set to 4, which is how many moves ahead it looks. Put it down to 1 or 2 for a gentler opponent, or up to 7 or 8 for a slower, tighter game. Dominoes has no such setting: the computer sheds heavy tiles and lays doubles early, and it makes no attempt to work out what you are holding.

Of those three, Checkers and Four in a Row are hosted here rather than written by me: open-source games running as their authors built them, which is why neither has an undo or a hint button; each of their pages carries an About this version note naming the source. Dominoes is mine, and that is where the Hint that explains its reasoning and the unlimited Undo come from.

Reversi, Backgammon and Five Dice are mine too, and each has its own page with the rules. In Reversi every legal square carries a marker and there are three difficulty levels. In Backgammon you tap a checker and every point it can reach lights up. Five Dice shows what each scorecard category is worth with the dice as they lie. All three have a Hint that gives its reason.

Starting one if you have never played

Checkers shows a short menu before the board appears. Choose Two Players to share one screen, or vs Machine for the computer, then Italian or English, then Start Game. The two versions differ in small ways, which the game lists for you under Rules in the side panel and rewrites as you switch; Italian is the one already selected. Once the board is up, click a piece and every square it may legally move to turns green.

Four in a Row begins straight away. Click any circle in the column you want (top, bottom, or one that already holds a disc) and your disc drops to the lowest free slot in that column. The line reading Board Score is the program showing its own working while it thinks; it is not your score, and nothing is being counted against you.

Dominoes deals seven tiles each from a double-six set, and the highest double opens, which is sometimes the computer. Tap one of your tiles and it lays itself; it only asks which end you meant when the tile fits both, and then a button appears for each end, naming the number you would be matching. If nothing in your hand fits, a button appears to take one from the boneyard. That is the ordinary rule, not a setback. Press Hint and it names the tile, says which end it goes against, and explains why, such as leaving ends that more of your remaining tiles can still reach.

Reading the board, and moving without dragging

A click that lands on nothing simply does nothing, in Checkers, Four in a Row and Dominoes, so a slip costs you the click and not the piece. In Checkers you click a piece and then one of the green squares, picking from marked destinations rather than judging diagonals by eye. In Four in a Row the column is the target rather than the slot. In Dominoes you tap the tile rather than the place, and the game works out where it goes.

Dominoes prints large pips and a numeral on every tile, since six dots take a moment to count and a bare number stops looking like a domino. The two open ends of the line are outlined, so what you are matching is always visible, and the line is laid as one straight run rather than snaking round corners the way it would on a real table. It can also be played from the keyboard: arrow keys move along your hand, Enter or the space bar lays a tile, H is Hint and U is Undo.

The display button sits in the bottom-right corner of every page, marked with an A. It opens a small panel with text size, high contrast and dark, and it changes the page it is on, including the Dominoes tiles, because Dominoes is part of the page. Checkers and Four in a Row run inside their own frame, so that panel does not reach into them; browser zoom is the control that does, and the keystrokes are in the questions below.

Two people on one screen, and stopping when you like

For two people, choose Two Players on the Checkers menu. The two name boxes are optional labels shown beside the board and default to Player 1 and Player 2 if you leave them empty. A tablet flat on a table between two chairs works better than a laptop here, since neither of you has to reach past a screen or a keyboard.

None of the six is timed, and the computer will wait as long as you like. These have an opponent, though, so unlike the puzzles they do end, in a win or a loss. You can start over in the middle of a game: New Game in Checkers, Restart in Four in a Row, New round in Dominoes. Checkers also has a Resign button beside each player and a Menu button back to the opening screen. Nothing about your game is stored on my server, which is also why a half-played board does not survive closing the tab.

Common questions

Are these board games free, and do I have to install anything?: They are free, and there is nothing to install. Checkers, Four in a Row and Dominoes run inside the web page itself, in any current browser on a computer, tablet or phone. You don't sign up, give an email address or create an account, and there is no pop-up or anything else that covers the board while you are playing.
The board looks small. Can I make it bigger?: Browser zoom enlarges the whole board: hold Ctrl and press the plus key on Windows, or Command and plus on a Mac, and on a tablet or phone put two fingers on the screen and spread them apart. The site's own display button, in the bottom-right corner, sets text size and high contrast for the page; that reaches the Dominoes tiles, but not Checkers or Four in a Row, which sit inside their own frame.
Can I take a move back if I make a mistake?: In Dominoes, as often as you like: Undo takes back your tile together with the computer's reply, so you can try a different one and watch how it plays out. Checkers and Four in a Row have no undo. They are open-source games hosted here as their authors built them, and a piece put down stays down. Both will start again at any moment, though, with New Game and Restart.
Can I play against another person instead of the computer?: Yes, in Checkers. Choose Two Players on the opening menu and the pair of you take turns on the same screen, a tap each. Four in a Row and Dominoes are played against the computer only. None of the six connects you to anybody over the internet, so there is nobody waiting on you, no chat, and no stranger watching how long you take over a move.
What happens if I close the page in the middle of a game?: The position is lost and you would begin a fresh game next time, since half-played boards are not saved and nothing about your game is stored on my server. Nothing carries over between visits in any case. If you want to break off and come back to it, leave the tab open rather than closing it.
Is Checkers the same game as Draughts?: Yes, Draughts is the British name for the game Americans call checkers, and this is that game. Before the board appears you can pick the Italian or the English version, with Italian already selected. The game lists the differences for you under Rules: which colour starts, whether an ordinary piece may capture a King, and whether you must take the longest run of captures when several are open.

Free Board Games

Checkers

Four in a Row

Dominoes

Reversi

Backgammon

Five Dice