Draughts

Draughts

Starting position on a 10×10 draughts board
Genre(s)	Board game Abstract strategy game
Players	2
Age range	5 years and up
Setup time	10–60 seconds
Random chance	None
Skill(s) required	Strategy, tactics
Synonym(s)	Checkers Dames

Draughts (pron.: / ˈ d r ɑː f t s /, British English) or checkers (American English) is a group of strategy board games for two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform game pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over opponent pieces. Draughts developed from alquerque. The name derives from the verb to draw or to move.

The most popular forms are international draughts, played on a 10×10 board, and English draughts, also called American checkers, played on an 8×8 checkerboard, but there are many other variants including some played on a 12×12 board.

General rules

Draughts (or checkers) is played by two players, on opposite sides of a playing board, alternating moves. One player has dark pieces, and the other has light pieces. It is against the rules for one player to move the other player's pieces. The player with the light pieces makes the first move unless stated otherwise. A move consists of a player moving their piece diagonally to an adjacent unoccupied square. If the square is occupied by an opponents' piece, it may be captured (and removed from the game) by jumping over it to the unoccupied square one square beyond the opponents piece. The playable surface consists of using only the dark squares of a board with alternating light and dark squares. A piece may move only diagonally into an unoccupied square. Capturing is mandatory in most official rules, although some people play with variant rules that make capturing optional when presented. In all variants, the player who has no pieces remaining or cannot move owing to being blocked loses the game, unless otherwise stated.

Uncrowned pieces (men) move one step diagonally, and (may) capture opponents' pieces by moving two consecutive steps in the same direction, jumping over the opponent's piece on the first step. Multiple opposing pieces may be captured in a single turn provided this is done by successive jumps made by a single piece; these jumps do not need to be in the same direction but may zigzag changing diagonal direction. In English draughts men can capture only forward, but in international draughts they may also capture (diagonally) backwards.

When a man reaches the crownhead or kings row (the farthest row forward), it becomes a king, and is marked by placing an additional piece on top of the first man, and acquire additional powers including the ability to move backwards (and capture backwards, in variants in which they cannot already do so). As with non-king men, a king may make successive jumps in a single turn provided that each jump captures an opponent man or king.

In international draughts, with the flying kings rule kings can move as far as they want along unblocked diagonals. This move can (but need not) end by a capture in the usual way, jumping over an opposing piece to an adjacent unoccupied square. Since captured pieces remain on the board until the turn is complete, with flying kings it is possible for a king to reach a position where he is blocked from moving further by a piece he has just captured.

Flying kings are not used in English draughts, in which a king's only advantage over a man is the ability to move and capture backwards as well as forwards.

Naming

In most non-English languages (except those that acquired the game from English speakers), draughts is called dames, damas, or a similar term that refers to ladies. Men are usually called stones, pieces, or some similar term that does not imply a gender; men promoted to kings are called dames or ladies instead. In these languages, the queen in chess or in card games is usually called by the same term as the kings in draughts. A case in point includes the Greek terminology, in which draughts is called "ντάμα" (dama), which is also one term for the queen in chess (the men are known as "pawns").

National and regional variants

Long-range kings; men can capture backwards (International draughts/American pool checkers family)

National variant	Board size	Pieces per side	Double-corner or light square on player's near-right?	Who moves first?	Capture constraints	Notes
International draughts (or Polish draughts)	10×10	20	yes	White	A sequence must capture the maximum possible number of pieces.	Pieces only promote when they land on the final rank, not when they pass through it. It is mainly played in the Netherlands, Suriname, France, Belgium, some eastern European countries, some parts of Africa, some parts of the former USSR, and other European countries
Ghanaian draughts (damii)	10×10	20	no	White	Any sequence may be chosen, as long as all possible captures are made. Accidentally passing up a king's capture opportunity leads to forfeiture of the king.	Played in Ghana. You lose if you are left with a single piece (man or king).
Frisian draughts	10×10	20	yes	White	A sequence of capture must give the maximum "value" to the capture, and a king (called a wolf) has a value of less than two men but more than one man. If a sequence with a capturing wolf and a sequence with a capturing man have the same value, the wolf must capture. The main difference with the other games is that the captures can be made diagonally, but also straight forward and sideways.	Played in Netherlands.
Canadian draughts	12×12	30	yes	White	A sequence must capture the maximum possible number of pieces.	International rules, on a 12x12 board. Mainly played in Canada.
Brazilian draughts or derecha	8×8	12	yes	White	A sequence must capture the maximum possible number of pieces.	Played in Brazil. The rules come from international draughts, but board size and number of pieces come from English draughts. In the Philippines, it is known as "derecha" and is played on a mirrored board, often replaced by a crossed lined board (only diagonals are represented).
Pool checkers	8×8	12	yes	Black	Any sequence may be chosen, as long as all possible captures are made.	Also called Spanish Pool Checkers. It is mainly played in the southeastern United States; traditional among African American players. A man reaching the kings row is promoted only if he does not have additional backwards jumps (as in international draughts). In many games at the end one adversary has three kings while the other one has just one king. In such a case the first adversary must win in thirteen moves or the game is declared a draw.
Russian checkers	8×8	12	yes	White	Any sequence may be chosen, as long as all possible captures are made.	Also called shashki or Russian shashki checkers. If a man touches the kings row during a jump, and it can continue to jump backwards, it jumps backwards as a king, not as a man. It is mainly played in some parts of Russia, some parts of the former USSR, and Israel. In many game endings the opponents have 3 and 1 kings respectively. In this case the first opponent normally wins if (s)he occupies the longest diagonal line and then builds the so-called Petrov's triangle. Two variants exist: the 10x8 variant (2 additional columns, labelled 'i' and 'k'), and the give-away variant poddavki. There are official championships for shashki and its variants.

Long-range kings; men cannot capture backwards (Spanish draughts family)

National variant	Board size	Pieces per side	Double-corner or light square on player's near-right?	Who moves first?	Capture constraints	Notes
Spanish draughts	8×8	12	no	White	A sequence must capture the maximum possible number of pieces, and the maximum possible number of kings from all such sequences.	Also called Spanish checkers. It is mainly played in Portugal and in some parts of South America and some Northern African countries.
Malaysian draughts / Singaporean draughts	12×12	30		not fixed	Capture is forced. Failing to do so results in forfeiture of that piece ( huffing).	Mainly played in Malaysia, Singapore and the region nearby. Also known locally as "Black-White Chess". Sometimes it is also played on 8x8 board when 12x12 board is not available. 10x10 board is rare in this region.
Czech draughts	8×8	12		White	If there are sequences of captures with a man and other ones with a king, it is necessary to capture with a king. After that, any sequence may be chosen, as long as all possible captures are made in the chosen sequence.	This variant is from the family of the Spanish game.
Slovak draughts	8x8	8		White	King is long - range. Any sequence may be chosen, as long as all possible captures are made.	New unit "small king"can move one or two squares diagonal (forwards and backwards). A capturing is not allowed until first step is moved by any small king and then is mandatory.
Argentinian draughts	8×8	12	no	White	A sequence must capture the maximum possible number of pieces, and the maximum possible number of kings from all such sequences.	The rules are similar to the Spanish game, but the king, when it captures, must stop after the captured piece, and may begin a new capture movement from there. With this rule, there is no draw with 2 pieces against 1.
Thai draughts	8×8	8	yes	Black	Any sequence may be chosen, as long as all possible captures are made.	During a capturing move, pieces are removed immediately after a capture. Kings stop on the field directly behind the piece captured and must go on capturing from there, if possible, even in the direction where they have come from.
German draughts "Dame"	8×8	12		White	Any sequence may be chosen, as long as all possible captures are made.	Kings may stop on any field behind the piece captured and as long as they can continue capturing from there.
Turkish draughts	8×8	16	yes	White	A sequence must capture the maximum possible number of pieces.	In this game type (also known as Dama), all 64 board cells are used, dark and light. Men move straight forward or sideways, instead of diagonally. When a man reaches the last row, it is promoted to a flying king (Dama), which moves like a rook (or a queen in Armenian variant). The pieces are placed on the second and third rows. It is played in Turkey, Kuwait, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Greece and several other locations in the Middle-East, as well as the same locations as Russian checkers. There are several variants in these countries, with the Armenian variant (called tama) also allowing forward-diagonal movement for men.
Myanmar draughts	8×8	12		White	A sequence must capture the maximum possible number of pieces.	Players make agreement before starting the game. They can choose two options "Must Capture" and "Free Capture". In "Must Capture" type of game, the man that doesn't capture will be collected by the opponent as a fine. In the "Free Capture" game, it is optional to capture.

No long-range kings; men cannot capture backwards (English draughts/American straight checkers family)

National variant	Board size	Pieces per side	Double-corner or light square on player's near-right?	Who moves first?	Capture constraints	Notes
English draughts	8×8	12	yes	Black	Any sequence may be chosen, as long as all possible captures are made.	Also called American checkers or "straight checkers", since it is also played in the USA.
Italian draughts	8×8	12	no	White	If multiple capture sequences are available, one must select the sequence that captures the most pieces. If more than one sequence qualifies, one must capture with a king instead of a man. If more than one sequence qualifies, one must select the sequence that captures the most number of kings. If there are still more sequences, one must select the sequence that captures a king first.	Men cannot jump kings. It is mainly played in Italy, and some Northern African countries.

Invented variants

• Suicide checkers (also called anti-checkers, giveaway checkers or losing draughts) is the misère version of checkers. The winner is the first player to have no legal move: that is, all of whose pieces are lost or blocked.
• Les Vauriens/Mule Checkers is a checkers variant in which some pieces affect the outcome as in suicide checkers, while the rest are treated normally.
• Lasca is a checkers variant on a 7×7 board, with 25 fields used. Jumped pieces are placed under the jumper, so that towers are built. Only the top piece of a jumped tower is captured. This variant was invented by World Chess Champion Emanuel Lasker.
• Cheskers is a variant of checkers invented by Solomon Golomb. Each player begins with a bishop and a " knight" (which jump with coordinates (3,1) rather than (2,1) so as to stay on the black squares), and men reaching the back rank promote to a bishop, knight, or king.
• Tiers is a complex variant of checkers that allows players to upgrade their pieces beyond kings.
• DaMath is a checkers variant utilizing math principles and numbered chips popular in the Philippines.
• Standoff is an American checkers variant using both checkers and dice.
• Philosophy shogi checkers is a variant on a 9x9 board, game ending with capturing opponent's king. Invented by Inoue Enryō and described in Japanese book in 1890.
• Dameo is a variant played on a 8x8 board, that was invented by Christian Freeling in 2000. The rules for the movement and capturing are similar to those of Armenian draughts. A special "sliding" move is used for moving a line of checkers similar to the movement rule in Epaminondas.
• Hexdame is a literal adaptation of the game International draughts to a hexagonal gameboard. The game was invented by Christian Freeling in 1979.

Games sometimes confused with draughts variants

• Halma is a game in which pieces can move in any direction and jump over any other piece, friend or enemy. Pieces are not captured. Each player starts with 19 (two-player) or 13 (four-player) pieces in one corner and tries to move them all into the opposite corner.
• Chinese checkers is based on Halma, but uses a star-shaped board divided into equilateral triangles. Despite its name, this game is not of Chinese origin, nor is it based on checkers.
• Konane

History

Ancient games

A similar game has been played for thousands of years. A board resembling a draughts board was found in Ur dating from 3000 BC. In the British Museum are specimens of ancient Egyptian checkerboards, found with their pieces in burial chambers, and the game was played by Queen Hatasu. Plato mentioned a game, πεττεια or petteia, as being of Egyptian origin, and Homer also mentions it. The method of capture was placing two pieces either side of the opponent's piece. It was said to have been played during the Trojan War. The Romans played a derivation of petteia called latrunculi, or the game of the Little Soldiers.

Alquerque

An Arabic game called Quirkat or al-qirq, with similar play to modern draughts, was played on a 5x5 board. It is mentioned in the 10th century work Kitab al-Aghani. Al qirq was also the name for the game that is now called Nine Men's Morris. Al qirq was brought to Spain by the Moors, where it became known as Alquerque, the Spanish derivation of the Arabic name. The rules are given in the 13th century book Libro de los juegos. In about 1100, probably in the south of France, the game of Alquerque was adapted using backgammon pieces on a chessboard. Each piece was called a "fers", the same name as the chess queen, as the move of the two pieces was the same at the time.

Evolution

The rule of crowning was used by the 13th century, as it is mentioned in the Philip Mouskat's Chronique in 1243 when the game was known as Fierges, the name used for the chess queen (derived from the Persian ferz, meaning royal counsellor or vizier). The pieces became known as "dames" when that name was also adopted for the chess queen. The rule forcing players to take whenever possible was introduced in France in around 1535, at which point the game became known as Jeu forcé, identical to modern English draughts. The game without forced capture became known as Le jeu plaisant de dames, the precursor of international draughts.

The 18th century English author Samuel Johnson wrote a foreword to a 1756 book about draughts by William Payne, the earliest book in English about the game.

Computer draughts

English draughts

English draughts (American 8×8 checkers) has been the arena for several notable advances in game artificial intelligence. In the 1950s, Arthur Samuel created one of the first board game-playing programs of any kind. More recently, in 2007 scientists at the University of Alberta evolved their " Chinook" program up to the point where it is unbeatable. A brute force approach that took hundreds of computers working nearly 2 decades was used to solve the game, showing that a game of draughts will always end in a stalemate if neither player makes a mistake. The solution is for the draughts variation called go-as-you-please (GAYP) checkers and not for the variation called three-move restriction checkers. As of December 2007, this makes English draughts the most complex game ever solved.

International draughts