Checkers is the name of a group of board games where the object is to capture enemy pieces by jumping over them. They are relatively simple, easy, and quick, and are very popular as a result. This sort of game dates back to at least ancient Egypt.
English Checkers (draughts) is played on an 8x8 Chessboard, but only uses the black squares. The rules are:
- Each side starts with 12 pieces on the last three rows of the board.
- Each turn, a player can move one of his pieces diagonally forward or jump diagonally forward over a series of enemy pieces, which are then removed from the board. Captures are mandatory, however, if different captures are possible, any of them can be chosen.
- When a piece reaches the opposite side, it becomes a king with the ability to move and jump diagonally backwards.
- A player who cannot make a move loses.
In tournament checkers, a variation called three-move restriction is preferred. The first three moves are drawn at random from a set of accepted openings. Two games are played with the chosen opening, each player having a turn at either side. This tends to reduce the number of draws and can make for more exciting matches. Three-move restriction has been played in the United States championship since 1934. A two-move restriction was used from 1900 until 1934 in the United States, and in Great Britain until the 1950's. Before 1900, championships were played without restriction: this style is called go-as-you-please.
The strongest checkers player is a program called Chinook written by a team lead by Jonathan Schaeffer. Marion Tinsley, world champion from 1955-1962 and 1975-1991, won a match against the machine in 1992. In 1994, he had to resign in the middle of an even match because of health reasons; he died shortly thereafter.
There are many other variants worldwide:
- In Spanish and German checkers the kings can move as far as they want along any diagonal, like a bishop in chess.
- In international checkers, or international draughts, the board is 10x10 with 20 pieces each, and the kings move as far as they want on diagonals. This is popular in The Netherlands, France, some parts of Africa and some parts of the former USSR and other eastern European countries.
- In Turkish checkers pieces move straight forwards or sideways, kings moving like a rook in chess, so that both red and black squares are used. Each player starts with 16 pieces in the first two rows.
- In Halma (Greek) pieces can move in any direction and jump over any other piece, friend or enemy. Each player starts with 19 (2-player) or 13 (4-player) pieces all 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 triangles, and is played using marbles instead of chips.
Anyone know of any others?
The way I've played checkers in France:
- board is 8x8
- kings move as far as they wish on diagonals. They, and the game itself, are called "Dames"
- Any piece may capture backwards, though only kings can move backwards without capture
- A capture may be multiple: if on landing after a capture, another is possible for that same piece, it may be played as part of the same turn. There is no limit to the number of sequential captures.
- a capture is not so much mandatory as punishable if missed. If a player does not capture in a move where it was possible, the piece that could have achieved this may be in turn seized from the board by the opponent, or "huffed" -- the French word is souffler, and players regularly say "Souffler, n'est pas jouer" to stress that they may take the opponent's piece and still make their own move. I do not believe this applies if several captures were possible and one of the possibilities is played, but a multiple capture must be played to its full extent.
-- Tarquin
Famous Checkers Players
Checkers was the name of a cocker spaniel that saved Richard Nixon's political career in 1952. Nixon, then a Vice President candidate for Eisenhower, was accused of setting up a secret slush fund. Nixon appeared on television, tearfully saying that he only gift he'd received as a politician was Checkers, that his children loved the dog, and that he and he wasn't going to give it back -- even if it was a crime. The audience loved it, and Nixon became VP and later President.
"Checkers" is the name of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom's secondary country residence.