draughts
noun
ˈdräf(t)s 
plural in form but singular or plural in construction
British
: checkers
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web In poor health and afflicted with chronic insomnia, Waugh took nightly sleeping draughts of bromide and chloral, washed down with crème de menthe. 
Christopher Buckley, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022 There’s certainly a distinct Baronial home vibe going on, just minus the freezing draughts. Mark Holgate, Vogue, 8 Apr. 2022 The weather shifts caused by El Niño events have given rise to some of the most extreme floods, draughts, forest fires and other natural disasters over the past 50 years. Carlie Porterfield, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2022 Chess is a classic game of strategy, similar to tic-tac-toe (noughts and crosses), checkers (draughts), reversi (Othello), backgammon and go, in which players take turns placing or moving pieces. Christof Koch, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2016
Christopher Buckley, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022 There’s certainly a distinct Baronial home vibe going on, just minus the freezing draughts. Mark Holgate, Vogue, 8 Apr. 2022 The weather shifts caused by El Niño events have given rise to some of the most extreme floods, draughts, forest fires and other natural disasters over the past 50 years. Carlie Porterfield, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2022 Chess is a classic game of strategy, similar to tic-tac-toe (noughts and crosses), checkers (draughts), reversi (Othello), backgammon and go, in which players take turns placing or moving pieces. Christof Koch, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2016 Word History
Etymology
Middle English draghtes, from plural of draght draft, move in chess
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined above