CHECKER_RULES

Checkers is the oldest game in the world and dates back over 4000 years. A board game that appeared very similar to checkers (called "Draughts" in Great Britain} was discovered in the ruins of the ancient city of Ur in modern day Iraq. This board game dates to about 3000 B.C. Checkers as we know it today has been around since 1400 B.C.

Checkers are played by two people, on opposite sides of a playing board, alternating moves. One player has dark pieces, and the other has light pieces. The player with the dark pieces makes the first move unless stated otherwise. Pieces move diagonally and pieces of the opponent are captured by jumping over them. The playable surface consists only of the dark squares. A piece may only move into an unoccupied square. Capturing is mandatory in most rules. A piece that is captured is removed from the board. In all variants, the player who has no pieces left or cannot move anymore has lost the game unless otherwise stated.

Uncrowned pieces ("men") move one step diagonally forwards and capture other pieces by making two steps in the same direction, jumping over the opponent's piece on the intermediate square. 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. In English draughts men can only capture forwards, but in international draughts they may also capture (diagonally) backwards.

When men reach the crownhead or kings row (the farthest row forward), they become kings, marked by placing an additional piece on top of the first, and acquire additional powers including the ability to move backwards (and capture backwards, in variants in which they cannot already do so).[2]

In international draughts, kings can move as far as they want in diagonals like a bishop in chess. However, they cannot capture like a bishop, but jump over the captured piece, moving over as many empty fields as the player wants but jumping over only a single, opposing piece in each jump. (As with men, a king may make successive jumps in a single turn provided that each is a capture.) This rule, known as flying kings, is 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. Notice that captured pieces are removed from the board only after capturing is finished. Thus sometimes the captured but not yet removed piece obliges a king to stop after capturing at a given field where he in turn will be captured by the adversary.

Armenian and Frisian checkers are very wild games as the rules allow for the king to jump by multiple squares in all 8 directions!

• International checkers (also called Polish draughts) - The board size is 10×10 with 20 pieces on each side and has flying kings. Unlike in chess the playing fields are numbered just by the numbers from 1 to 50. In this variant of the game, the player with the lightest colored pieces moves first. Pieces, although sometimes bought in a set, originally are sold is groups of eleven pieces all of a like color. This has lead to the coinage of the term draughts dozen. Also, because the lighter color moves first often the lighter colored pieces are more expensive and bought by more experienced players. If there are many sequences to capture, one has to capture the sequence that has the most pieces. If a man touches the kings row from a jump and it can continue to jump backwards, it has to jump backwards, but it is not kinged. It is mainly played in the Netherlands, France, some eastern European countries, some parts of Africa, some parts of the former USSR, and other European countries.

• English draughts is our main Checkers game - Also called American checkers or "straight checkers". It is played on an 8×8 board with 12 pieces on each side. Black (the darker color) moves first. Men (the uncrowned pieces) can only move and capture forward. When there is more than one way for a player to jump, one may choose which sequence to make, not necessarily the sequence that will result in the greatest number of captures. However, one must make all the captures in that sequence.

• Brazilian checkers - Exactly the same rules as international draughts, but it is played on an 8×8 board with eight "men" (or pieces) to begin the game with. It is mainly played in Brazil.

• Canadian checkers - Exactly the same rules as international draughts, but it is played on a 12×12 board with 30 pieces on each side. It is mainly played in Canada.

• Pool checkers - Exactly the same rules as Brazilian checkers but when there is more than one way for a player to jump, one may choose which sequence to make, not necessarily the sequence that will result in the greatest number of captures. However, one must make all the captures in that sequence. Another difference this carries between Brazilian Checkers is that the carker pieces move first. It is mainly played in the South-Eastern states in the United States.

• Spanish checkers - Also called Spanish pool checkers. Men cannot jump backwards. Exactly the same rules as Brazilian checkers, but if there are many sequences to capture, one has to capture the sequence that has the most pieces. If there are still more sequences, one has to capture the sequence that has the most kings. The board is mirrored (the left side is flipped to the right side and vice versa). It is mainly played in some parts in South America and some Northern African countries.

• Russian checkers - Exactly the same rules as Brazilian checkers, but if a man touches the kings row from a jump and it can continue to jump backwards, it has to jump backwards as kings, not men. It is mainly played in some parts in Russia, some parts of the former USSR, and Israel. 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 normally wins if (s)he occupies the main diagonal first and then builds the so-called Petrov's triangle.

• Italian checkers - Men cannot jump kings and men cannot jump backwards. If there are many sequences to capture, one has to capture the sequence that has the most pieces. If there are still more sequences, one has to capture with a king instead of a man. If there are still more sequences, one has to capture the sequence that has the most kings. If there are still more sequences, one has to capture the sequence that has a king first. The board is mirrored (the left side is flipped to the right side and vice versa). It is mainly played in Italy, and some Northern African countries.

• In Turkish checkers (a common form of checkers in the Middle-East, known as Dama), played on an 8×8 board, pieces move straight forward or sideways, and capture by jumping over an enemy piece. If there are many sequences to capture, one has to capture the sequence that has the most pieces. When a piece reaches the last row it promotes to a flying king (Dama) which moves like the rook in chess. Each player starts with 16 pieces on the second and third rows. It is played in Turkey, Kuwait, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and several other locations of the Middle-East, as well as the same locations as Russian checkers.

• Czech Checkers - Played on a 8x8 or 12x12 board depending on region. Both sizes are available here. While it is mandatory to make a jump when possible, you are not required to make the best possible jump. Kings may not jump over more than a single opposing piece in one jump. If there is more than one unoccupied square beyond the jumped piece, the king must land on a square from which it is possible to continue jumping, if such a square exists in the chosen direction. If both a man and a king can jump, a king has to, even if the man would be able to capture more pieces.

• Armenian checkers - This game is very similar to Turkish Checkers and played on an 8x8 board. The only difference being that the pieces can move diagonally.

• Frisian checkers - Surely the zaniest of all checker variations! Pieces are allowed to move diagonally forward on a 10x10 board, but unlike the standard Checkers, all pieces may jump in all eight directions.
  • When you move one of your pieces to your opponent's edge of the board, that piece may become a king. Kings can move not only diagonally forward, but also diagonally backward.Furthermore, kings are able to move by any number of squares on a diagonal line.
  • The piece on the opponent's edge only becomes a king if it cannot jump more pieces in its current turn.
  • Kings may not jump over more than a single opposing piece in one jump. If there is more than one unoccupied square beyond the jumped piece, the king must land on a square from which it is possible to continue jumping, if such a square exists in the chosen direction.
  • Kings may jump in all eight directions. Horizontal and vertical jumps are similar to the jumps of regular men, with the exception that the king may pass over several unoccupied squares while jumping, landing on any unoccupied square beyond the jumped piece.
  • It is not possible to jump over a single piece more than once. Pieces that have been jumped in your turn are grayed out on the board to illustrate squares through which you cannot jump. Maximum jumps are mandatory.
  • If one sequence of jumps (with any piece) can jump over two pieces, and another sequence leads to three pieces being jumped, the sequence that leads to three jumps must be played. If multiple jump sequences with the same number of jumps are possible, you have to choose a sequence that captures the maximum possible number of kings. If there are more ways to do this, one has to jump with a king instead of with a single man, if this is possible.
  • If there still are multiple ways to jump, any may be chosen.

• 11 Man Ballot - This game follows the standard Checkers rules except that the opening is different. One man of each player gets randomly removed from the board and one piece of each player randomly moves. Each game consists of a round of two games, with the players swapping colors for the second game of the round.

• Restriction Checkers - This game follows the standard Checkers rules except that the first three moves of the game are already played. The three initial moves are either selected randomly from a list of 156 standard openings, or you can pick an opening that you want to play. Each game consists of a round of two games, with the players swapping colors for the second game of the round.

Useful checker links

The American Checker Federation: http://usacheckers.com/index.php
Jim Loy's Checkers Pages: http://www.jimloy.com/checkers/checkers.htm