This seems to be the linchpin of this form of checkers... and the computer's ability to win. That was never a rule in any game of checkers I've played before.
According to wikipedia (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkers/):
Capturing is mandatory in most official rules
I just know that if there were a chess version of this with a forced capture rule, people would be screaming blood muder. Erm, yes, but chess is a different game than checkers.
Poor checkers... so maligned... so misunderstood.
Indeed.