Rules of Russian Draughts

Russian Draughts, also known as Shashki, is a variant of draughts (checkers for Americans) that is popular in Russia, in some areas of the former USSR, as well as in certain regions of Eastern Europe and Israel. It is a board game for two persons that puts emphasis on strategy and the need to constantly adapt the movements to those of the adversary.

Game board and pieces

It is played on a board of 64 alternating dark and light squares. The vertical columns are labelled from A to H, and the horizontal rows are numbered from 1 to 8. Thus, each square on the board has a unique identification by combining the letter of the column and the number of the row.

There is a total of 24 pieces: 12 white and 12 black. Each player starts with 12 pieces in the three rows closest to their side of the board. The row closest to each player is called the "crownhead" or "kings row".

Movements and captures

In Russian Draughts the pieces move diagonally to an adjacent unoccupied square. The opposing pieces are captured by jumping over them.

Let's explore the rules of the game:

• The player with the white pieces makes the first move. Then the other player moves.
• If the adjacent square contains an opponent's piece and the square immediately beyond it is empty, the opponent's piece must be captured (and removed from the game) by jumping over it. Capture is mandatory, and multiple captures can be made if, after a jump, the piece lands on a square from which another opposing piece can be captured.
• When there are several options for performing jumps, the player can choose which sequence to follow, not necessarily the one that results in the largest number of captures. However, all captures within the chosen sequence must be made. A captured piece remains on the board until the sequence is completed, but it cannot be jumped again (the same applies to kings).
• When a player's piece reaches the last row on the opponent's side of the board, this piece becomes a "king". This is marked by stacking another piece of the same colour on top or placing a piece of another colour underneath the new king. The king can move both forwards and backwards, and has the freedom to stop at any free square along the diagonal.
• If a piece reaches the kings row during a capture and can keep capturing, it jumps back as a king. The player can choose which square to land on after completing the capture.

Victory and draw

A player loses if he has no valid moves left. This happens when he has no pieces on the board or when his pieces are blocked by the opponent's, making any move impossible.

The game ends in a draw:

• When none of the opponents have a chance to win.
• When the same position is repeated for the third time.
• If a player proposes the draw and his opponent accepts the offer.
• If a player has three kings (or more) while facing only one opponent's king, and in their 15th move (counting from the moment the correlation of forces was established) they still cannot capture the enemy king.
• If for 15 moves both players only moved kings, without moving any "man" (normal piece) and without making any capture.

This game will challenge your planning and tactical skills. Are you ready for an exciting experience?