Chinook is a world-renowned checkers-playing program developed at the University of Alberta. While it is best known as the first computer program to win a human world championship (1994) and for "solving" checkers in 2007, it is primarily available through web interfaces rather than a standard standalone software download. Key Features of Chinook
Solved Game Knowledge: Proves that perfect play by both sides in checkers always results in a draw.
Comprehensive Opening Book: Includes a library of opening moves based on games played by grandmasters.
Endgame Databases: Features complete knowledge for all board positions with 8 pieces or fewer, totaling billions of possible positions.
Handcrafted Evaluation: Unlike modern AI that learns through experience, Chinook's knowledge was programmed by its creators to evaluate factors like piece count, king count, and "runaway" checkers.
Adjustable Difficulty: The online interface allows players to choose between novice, amateur, or intermediate levels. Where to Access or Download
Play Online: You can play against a slightly reduced-strength version of the champion engine directly on the University of Alberta Chinook page. chinook checkers software download top
Endgame Databases: For developers or enthusiasts, the official Chinook Endgame Databases are available for download in various sizes (2- through 8-piece sets).
Alternative Engines: Since the original Chinook software is not a standard consumer download, many players use powerful alternatives like KingsRow or Cake, which are compatible with popular checkers GUI software. Play Chinook - World Man- Machine Checkers Champion
Chinook is a historic computer program developed at the University of Alberta
that became the first computer to win a human world championship in 1994. Led by Jonathan Schaeffer
, the project officially "solved" the game of checkers in 2007, proving that perfect play from both sides always results in a draw. History of Information Software Availability and Play
While the full standalone Chinook software is not typically available as a single consumer "download" like modern apps, you can access its core components or play it online: Play Online The Best Way to Access Chinook Data While
: You can play a version of the champion program directly through the University of Alberta's Chinook site
. Note that this version is often "reduced in strength" to give human players a chance to secure a draw. Endgame Databases
: The massive endgame databases (covering positions with 8 or fewer pieces) are available for download on the Chinook Database page
. These are used by other high-end checkers engines to achieve near-perfect play. Third-Party Engines
: Since Chinook itself is no longer actively developed for public competition, serious players often use modern engines like
, which can integrate Chinook's databases to enhance their own strength. University of Alberta Key Milestones Endgame Databases - World Man-Machine Checkers Champion Never lose a single game from a standard
While you may not be able to "play against" the engine in a casual downloadable app, you can access its brainpower.
The project hosts an online database called the Chinook Perfect Play Database. While not a game you download to play against, it is a web interface where you can input any checkers position with 10 pieces or fewer. The engine will tell you the exact, mathematically perfect sequence of moves to win or draw. For serious players, this is arguably more valuable than a playable engine.
After your Chinook checkers software download, you should test its strength. A real top-tier engine will:
Simple test: Set up the “White to move and win” test positions from famous checkers puzzles. If Chinook finds the multi-move forced win in under a second, you have the genuine article.
Before you download, it is important to understand the weight of the software. Chinook was developed by Dr. Jonathan Schaeffer and his team. In 1994, it became the computer World Checkers Champion. By 2007, the team solved the game of checkers completely—proving that perfect play by both sides results in a draw.
When you search for Chinook-related software today, you are usually looking for one of two things: