How are the Checkers pieces set up at the beginning of the game?

At the start of a Checkers game, the board is positioned in a way that both players have alternating light and dark squares in front of them. Each player places their 12 pieces, either black or red, on the intersections of the dark squares of the first three rows closest to them. The pieces are arranged in two rows, with six pieces in each row. The first row closest to the player is filled with their pieces, aligned diagonally to the adjacent squares, occupying all dark squares. The second row follows the same pattern but aligned diagonally with the dark squares on the opposite side of the board. In summary, both players begin the game with an identical setup of their 12 pieces, forming two staggered diagonal rows on the dark squares.