Draughts

International draughts is the larger, faster relative of checkers. The board is 10 × 10 instead of 8 × 8, each player has twenty pieces instead of twelve, and three rules change everything: ordinary pieces capture backwards as well as forwards, kings fly any distance along a diagonal, and you must always make the capture that takes the most pieces.

Those rules make long combinations the heart of the game. A quiet-looking move can set up a chain that sweeps four or five pieces off the board, and our engine works out the legal captures for you so that you can concentrate on finding them.

How to start a game

1. 1Open Draughts on Alex Play Zone, pick a nickname and choose the bot or a room with a friend.
2. 2Tap a piece to see its moves. When a capture is available, only the captures that take the most pieces are offered.
3. 3Carry a chain of captures through to the end — it is all one turn.
4. 4Each move has a 45-second timer.

The rules of Draughts

Moving

• Play is on the 50 dark squares of a 10 × 10 board; each side starts with 20 pieces.
• An ordinary piece (a “man”) moves one square diagonally forward.

Capturing

• A man captures by jumping an adjacent enemy piece onto the empty square behind it — forwards or backwards.
• Capturing is compulsory, and a chain of jumps must be continued for as long as it can go on.
• Maximum capture: when several captures are possible you must choose one that takes the greatest number of pieces.

Flying kings

• A man that ends its move on the farthest row becomes a king.
• A king moves any number of empty squares along a diagonal.
• A king captures an enemy piece from any distance along a diagonal, provided the square behind it is empty, and may land on any free square beyond it.

Winning

• Capture all of your opponent’s pieces, or leave them with no legal move.

How to play well

Look backwards too

Players who come from checkers lose pieces to backward captures. A piece is only safe when it cannot be jumped from any of the four diagonals.

Build the combination with a sacrifice

The maximum-capture rule lets you force your opponent’s hand twice over: they must capture, and they must take the longer chain. Give a piece to drag theirs into line, then take three or four in reply.

Race for the first king

One flying king controls whole diagonals and can pick off loose pieces from across the board. Keep a lane open on one wing and guard the squares where your opponent would crown.

Stay compact

Twenty pieces in a solid block are hard to attack. Gaps in your formation are exactly the empty squares an enemy capture needs to land on.

Remember: A single flying king is extremely strong — protect the lanes that let you promote first.

Common mistakes

• Checking only for forward captures.
• Leaving pieces in a diagonal line with gaps between them — a ready-made chain for a king.
• Crowning a king and then parking it where it can be trapped on the edge.
• Ignoring the maximum-capture rule when planning: the capture you wanted may not be the one you are allowed to make.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between draughts and checkers?

Board size (10 × 10 against 8 × 8), piece count (20 against 12), backward captures for ordinary pieces, flying kings, and the maximum-capture rule. Our guide compares them side by side.

Do I have to take the most pieces?

Yes. If one capture takes two pieces and another takes three, the three-piece capture is the only legal one.

Can a king be captured?

Yes, like any other piece — by a man or by another king.