Checkers and Variants - Roberto's Rules of Draughts

From Club #1964, The For the Love of Draughts Club.

This page was last edited by T-Rex at 7:22PM on 20 December 2012 (Central Time Zone)

Player #13036 is T-Rex in case his Profile goes inactive.

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Rules of American Pool Checkers
1- The board is 8×8 and chequered, with the single corner (dark square) to the lower left.
2- Each player starts with 12 men (single pieces) on the dark squares of the first three rows.
3- Red moves first; play is on the dark squares only.
4- A man moves diagonally forward one square, never backward, to a vacant square.
5- A man jumps short diagonally forward or backward; jumps are mandatory.
6- Multiple jumps are mandatory; after a jump, if another legal jump is available, it must be taken.
7- If a man terminates its move in the last row, it becomes a King.
8- The King is a long-range piece, moving & jumping long at will.
9- When a King jumps, it can land on any vacant square beyond the captured piece.
10- If multiple jumps are available from any vacant square beyond a piece jumped by a King, they are mandatory.
11- Jumped pieces are removed from the board only after a player's turn is over; they cannot be jumped more than once.
12- Men can jump Kings.
13- In jumping, a player may take to his or her advantage; one is not required to jump the maximum.
14- There is no preference for jumping with a King rather than a man.
15- If a player captures or blocks all hostile pieces or the opponent resigns, the player wins the game.
16- If no one can force a win, the game is a draw.

Rules of Russian Draughts
The game is played the same as Pool Checkers but with the exceptions listed below:
—White moves first. (3)
—A man becomes a King when entering the last row; it can jump in as a man and, on the same move, jump out as a King. (7)

Rules of Brazilian Draughts
The game is played the same as Pool Checkers but with the exceptions listed below:
—White moves first. (3)
—A player must jump the maximum number of pieces, men and Kings counted equally. (13)

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Rules of Spanish Draughts
1- The board is 8×8 and chequered, with the single corner (dark square) to the lower right.
2- Each player starts with 12 men (single pieces) on the dark squares of the first three rows.
3- White moves first; play is on the dark squares only.
4- A man moves diagonally forward one square, never backward, to a vacant square.
5- A man jumps short diagonally forward, never backward; jumps are mandatory.
6- Multiple jumps are mandatory; after a jump, if another legal jump is available, it must be taken.
7- Upon reaching the last row, a man becomes a King, which terminates the player's turn.
8- The King is a long-range piece, moving & jumping long at will.
9- When a King jumps, it can land on any vacant square beyond the captured piece.
10- If multiple jumps are available from any vacant square beyond a piece jumped by a King, they are mandatory.
11- Jumped pieces are removed from the board only after a player's turn is over; they cannot be jumped more than once.
12- Men can jump Kings.
13- A player must jump the maximum number of pieces, men and Kings counted equally.
14- If there is still a choice, the player must jump the maximum number of Kings.
15- There is no preference for jumping with a King rather than a man.
16- If a player captures or blocks all hostile pieces or the opponent resigns, the player wins the game.
17- If no one can force a win, the game is a draw.

Rules of Czech Draughts
The game is played the same as Spanish Draughts but with the exceptions listed below:
—The single corner is to the lower left. (1)
—In jumping, a player may take to his or her advantage; one is not required to jump the maximum. (13–14)
—A player must jump with a King rather than a man, if possible. (15)

Rules of 8-Man Czech Draughts
The game is played the same as Spanish Draughts but with the exceptions listed below:
—The single corner is to the lower left. (1)
—Each player starts with 8 men on the dark squares of the first two rows. (2)
—In jumping, a player may take to his or her advantage; one is not required to jump the maximum. (13–14)
—A player must jump with a King rather than a man, if possible. (15)

Rules of Thai Draughts
The game is played the same as Spanish Draughts but with the exceptions listed below:
—The single corner is to the lower left. (1)
—Each player starts with 8 men on the dark squares of the first two rows. (2)
—In jumping, a player may take to his or her advantage. (13–14)
—When a King jumps, it lands on the first square, which must be vacant, beyond the captured piece. (9)
—If multiple jumps are available from the first square beyond a piece jumped by a King, they are mandatory. (10)
—A king is allowed to turn 180 degrees to continue jumping. (10)
—Jumped pieces are removed immediatelly from the board, even if the player has more jumps to take. (11)

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Rules of American Straight Checkers (English Draughts)
1- The board is 8×8 and chequered, with the single corner (dark square) to the lower left.
2- Each player starts with 12 men (single pieces) on the dark squares of the first three rows.
3- Red moves first; play is on the dark squares only.
4- A man moves diagonally forward one square, never backward, to a vacant square.
5- A man jumps short diagonally forward, never backward; jumps are mandatory.
6- Multiple jumps are mandatory; after a jump, if another legal jump is available, it must be taken.
7- Upon reaching the last row, a man becomes a King, which terminates the player's turn.
8- The King, like a man, is a short-range piece, but unlike a man, it can move & jump diagonally backward, too.
9- If multiple jumps are available from the square just beyond a piece jumped by a King, they are mandatory.
10- Jumped pieces are removed from the board only after a player's turn is over; they cannot be jumped more than once.
11- Men can jump Kings.
12- In jumping, a player may take to his or her advantage; one is not required to jump the maximum.
13- There is no preference for jumping with a King rather than a man.
14- If a player captures or blocks all hostile pieces or the opponent resigns, the player wins the game.
15- If no one can force a win, the game is a draw.

Rules of Restriction Checkers
The game is played the same as American Straight Checkers but with the exceptions listed below:
—The first three moves (Red, White, Red) are selected either by ballot or by the inviting player.
—Two games are then played with the chosen opening; each player has Red once.

Rules of 11-Man Ballot
The game is played the same as American Straight Checkers but with the exceptions listed below:
—One piece is removed randomly from each side, though not from the back row, leaving 11 men apiece.
—The first two moves (Red, White) are then selected by ballot.
—Each player has a chance to reject the opening and repeat the selection process.
—When the opening has been selected, two games are played with it; each player has Red once.

Rules of Giveaway Checkers
The game is played the same as American Straight Checkers but with the exceptions listed below:
—The player who successfully loses the game is the winner.
—The player who is forced to win the game is the loser.

Rules of African-American Straight Checkers
The game is played the same as American Straight Checkers but with the exceptions listed below:
—The King is a long-range piece, moving & jumping long at will. (8)
—When a King jumps, it can land on any vacant square beyond the captured piece. (9)
—If multiple jumps are available from any vacant square beyond a piece jumped by a King, they are mandatory. (9)

Rules of Italian Draughts
The game is played the same as American Straight Checkers but with the exceptions listed below:
—The single corner is to the lower right. (1)
—White moves first. (3)
—A man can never jump a King. (11)
—A player must jump the maximum number of pieces, men and Kings counted equally. (12)
—If this leaves a choice, a player must jump with a King rather than a man, if possible. (13)
—If there is still a choice, the player must jump the maximum number of Kings. (12)
—And if there is still a choice, one must jump so that a King is jumped the earliest possible in the sequence.

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Rules of International Draughts
1- The board is 10×10 and chequered, with the single corner (dark square) to the lower left.
2- Each player starts with 20 men (single pieces) on the dark squares of the first four rows.
3- White moves first; play is on the dark squares only.
4- A man moves diagonally forward one square, never backward, to a vacant square.
5- A man jumps short diagonally forward or backward; jumps are mandatory.
6- Multiple jumps are mandatory; after a jump, if another legal jump is available, it must be taken.
7- If a man terminates its move in the last row, it becomes a King.
8- The King is a long-range piece, moving & jumping long at will.
9- When a King jumps, it can land on any vacant square beyond the captured piece.
10- If multiple jumps are available from any vacant square beyond a piece jumped by a King, they are mandatory.
11- Jumped pieces are removed from the board only after a player's turn is over; they cannot be jumped more than once.
12- Men can jump Kings.
13- A player must jump the maximum number of pieces, men and Kings counted equally.
14- There is no preference for jumping with a King rather than a man.
15- If a player captures or blocks all hostile pieces or the opponent resigns, the player wins the game.
16- If no one can force a win, the game is a draw.

Rules of Canadian Draughts
The game is played the same as International Draughts but with the exceptions listed below:
—The board is 12×12. (1)
—Each player starts with 30 men on the dark squares of the first five rows. (2)

Rules of Frisian Draughts
The game is played the same as International Draughts but with the exceptions listed below:
—A man jumps short diagonally or orthogonally, forward or backward, in any of eight directions. (5)
—A King jumps long diagonally or orthogonally, forward of backward, in any of eight directions.
—When a move is not a jump, a man or King cannot move orthogonally.
—If jumping the maximum number of pieces leaves a choice, a player must jump the maximum number of Kings. (13)
—If there still is a choice of jumps, one must jump with a King. (14)
—One cannot move the same King on more than three successive turns without making a jump.
—This last rule does not apply when the player involved has only Kings on the board.

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Rules of Turkish Draughts
1- The board is 8×8 and may or may not be chequered.
2- Each player starts with 16 men (single pieces) on the second and third rows.
3- White moves first; play is on all 64 squares.
4- A man moves one square straight forward or sideways, never backward, to a vacant square.
5- A man jumps short straight forward or sideways, never backward to a vacant square.
6- Multiple jumps are mandatory; after a jump, if another legal jump is available, it must be taken.
7- If a man terminates its move in the last row, it then becomes a King.
8- The King is a long-range orthogonal piece, moving & jumping long at will, including backward.
9- When a King jumps, it can land on any vacant square beyond the captured piece.
10- If multiple jumps are available from any vacant square beyond a piece jumped by a King, they are mandatory.
11- Jumped pieces are removed immediatelly from the board, even if the player has more jumps to take.
12- Men can jump Kings.
13- A player must jump the maximum number of pieces, men and Kings counted equally.
14- There is no preference for jumping with a King rather than a man.
15- If a player captures or blocks all hostile pieces or the opponent resigns, the player wins the game.
16- If no one can force a win, the game is a draw.

Rules of Armenian Draughts
The game is played the same as Turkish Draughts but with the exceptions listed below:
—A man moves one square straight forward, diagonally forward or sideways, never backward, to a vacant square. (4)
—A King moves long in any of eight directions, diagonally or orthogonally, forward, backward or sideways. (8)

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