From: flee@cs.psu.edu (Felix Lee)
Subject: Rules for Checkers (Re: Checkers)
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 06:29:51 GMT

> At least, I *think* it is an official rule, but having never
> actually seen the official rules

Here are some random excerpts from the chapter "Beyond Checkers" in
_New Rules for Classic Games_.

*Anglo-American Checkers*

In Europe, the rules of checkers vary a great deal from country to
country.  The version most Americans know is also the one played in
England.  [...]

Unfortunately, this game is one of the least interesting varieties of
checkers.  It's not so much that Anglo-American Checkers isn't a good
game---it is, despite its "drawishness" (that is, its tendency to end
in a tie).  It's just that the other major forms of the game are
better.

[...]

*International Checkers*

One of the more complex forms of checkers is International Checkers,
also known as Polish Checkers or Continental Checkers.  Invented in
France in 1723, the game is played on a 10x10 board with 20 checkers
on each side [diagram].  It is very popular in France, Belgium, the
Netherlands, Switzerland, Russia, and several other countries.

The rules of International Checkers can also be applied to an 8x8
checker set with 12 pieces on each side.  This "Little International
Checkers" is also known as German or German-Polish Checkers, since it
is popular in many parts of Germany and Poland.  There is also an
extra-large version of the game, Canadian Checkers, played on a 12x12
board with 30 pieces on each side.

Here are the basic rules of the 8x8 form of International Checkers.
Apart from the opening setup, the same rules apply to the 10x10 and
12x12 games.

1. The setup is the same as in Anglo-American Checkers [diagram].
White moves first.

2. The object is to capture or blockade all opposing pieces.

3. Men (unpromoted pieces) may only move one square at a time,
diagonally forward, when not making a capture.

4. As in Anglo-American Checkers, a man may capture a diagonally
adjacent opposing man by jumping over it and landing on the square
beyond (which must be vacant).  But a man may capture *diagonally
backward as well as diagonally forward*.  A man may make multiple
jumps, capturing more than one piece in a turn, in any combination of
forward and backward directions [diagram].

5. A man *ending* its move on the last rank becomes a king.  If a man
jumping to the last rank can make another capture that takes him off
the back rank, he must make that capture and does not become a king
that turn.

[...]

6. Kings move like bishops in chess: any distance along an open
diagonal.

7. A king may capture an opposing piece lying on the same diagonal by
jumping over it---and the king may travel over any number of empty
squares on either side of the jump.  A king may not, however, jump
over two adjacent enemy pieces, nor over one of its own pieces.

8. Kings may make multiple jumps, changing directions and lengths of
jumps in any manner [diagram].  When a king makes a multiple jump, all
jumped pieces are left on the board until the end of the turn and only
then are removed.  During a multiple jump, a king may not jump over
the same piece twice.

9. Capturing, for both men and kings, is always compulsory.  If a
player can make more than one jump, he must always choose the one that
will capture the most pieces, without regard to whether the pieces are
men or kings.  If two or more jumps will result in the same maximum
number of captures, the player may choose any one of them.

[...]

*Turkish Checkers*

This form of checkers can be found not only in Turkey but in many
former parts of the Turkish Empire, ranging from Egypt to the Balkans.
It can be thought of as an orthogonal version of Russian Checkers.

1. The board is set up as shown in [diagram:
	. . . . . . . .
	X X X X X X X X
	X X X X X X X X
	. . . . . . . .
	. . . . . . . .
	O O O O O O O O
	O O O O O O O O
	. . . . . . . .
] (although traditionally, board squares are all one color).  White
moves first.

2. Men may move one square straight ahead or sideways---not backward
or diagonally [diagram].

3. Men capture by jumping in the same directions they move, that is,
forward or sideways [diagram].

4. Kings move any number of spaces along an empty rank or file, like
rooks in chess.

5. Kings capture horizontally or vertically at any distance, in a
manner analogous to king captures along diagonals in International
Checkers [diagram].

6. A man reaching the last rank by means of a jump immediately becomes
a king and continues to jump as a king *as part of the same turn* if
able.

7. Captured pieces are removed just as they are jumped and so do not
block further jumps as they do in International Checkers.

8. A player must capture when able and must always choose the move
that captures the most pieces, without regard to whether the pieces
are men or kings.

9. A player wins by capturing or blockading all opposing pieces or by
reaching a position in which he has a king against an opponent's man.
(If not for the latter rule, a man could avoid capture by the king
indefinitely.)

[...]

*The Good-for-Nothings*

This whimsical but challenging game is a creation of V. R. Parton's.
It can be played on an 8x8 or 10x10 board, set up as in Diagram 12.19
or as in the first position in Diagram 12.20.

On the back rows, checkers are replaced by chess pawns.  If you don't
have a chess set handy, simply mark each back-row checker in some way,
as by attaching a label or sticker.

The basic rules of movement and capture are the same as in Pool
Checkers [the same as in International Checkers, but you do not have
to choose the capture that takes the most pieces].  The back-row
pieces are known as "good-for-nothings" (or "ne'er-do-wells"---the
game seems only to have been described in French, under the name _Les
Vauriens_, which has the same meaning).  These pieces move and capture
the same way as ordinary men.

What makes this game different from regular Pool Checkers is its
object.  There are three different ways to win:

1. By _capturing_ all the opponent's _regular_ checkers;

2. By _losing_ all your own _good-for-nothings_;

3. By forcing the opponent to _promote a good-for-nothing_ (such as by
forcing him to jump onto the last row with a good-for-nothing).

Conversely, a player loses if he captures all the opponent's
good-for-nothings, if he only has good-for-nothings left himself, or
if one of his own good-for-nothings reaches the last rank.

This is a very quick game of subtle strategies and sharp tactics.  The
10x10 version is even more challenging.
--