The Checkered History of Checkers Visit » The Checkered History of Checkers The board game called "Checkers" in North America and "Draughts" (pronounced as "drafts") in Europe is one of the oldest games known to man. The history of checkers can be traced to the very cradle of civilization, where vestiges of the earliest form of the game was unearthed in an archeological dig in the ancient city of Ur in southern Mesopotamia, which is now modern day Iraq. Using a slightly different board, no one is sure of the exact rules of the game which was carbon dated at 3000 B.C. A similar game using a 5x5 board, called Alquerque is known to have existed in ancient Egypt as far back as 1400 B.C. This Egyptian version was so popular that man played it for thousands of years. Then, in the year 1100 A.D., an innovative Frenchman thought of playing the game on a chess board and increased the number of pieces for each player to 12.

This modified game was then called "Fierges" or "Ferses," but it was more appropriately called as "Le Jeu Plaisant De Dames," because it was considered a women's social game. Later, the game was made more challenging by making jumps mandatory and so, this newer version was referred to as "Jeu Force." As early as the mid 1500s, books were written on the game and in 1756, an English mathematician wrote a treatise on draughts. Now, with its own written rules, the game settled in England where it was known as "Draughts" and in America where it was called "Checkers." The game steadily rose in popularity as the years went by. 1847 was an important year in the history of checkers when the first championship award was given. Later, game enthusiasts noticed that certain openings gave advantage to one side. And so, to begin the game in a random manner, two move restrictions were developed for expert players. In modern tournament checkers three move restrictions are prescribed. 1952 was a landmark year in the colorful history of checkers as Arthur L.

Samuel created the first checkers program that was used by a computer. Gradually, these game programs were improved as computer speed and capacities increased. Today, computer programs rely more on data base information that show every possible move combinations when 10 pieces remain on the board and less on strategies. Checkers has entered practically every home through the Internet and has played to a draw and sometimes, even defeated the best players. Checkers continues to be as popular as ever and people all over the world play different versions of the game to entertain themselves, strengthen their powers of logic or simply enjoy quality time playing a good game at home with the family. The American Checker Federation -- Welcome to the ACF website 2017-01-11 Some Big Checker Events for 2017: The 2017 Tennessee Open will be held March 3-5 in Lebanon, TN at the Comfort Suites. The 2017 ACF National 11-man ballot checker tournament (the Seres Checker Classic) will be held March 28-31 in Branson, Missouri at the Honeysuckle Inn with $20,000 Prize Money.

The 2017 Don Lafferty Memorial GAYP National Checker Tournament will be held on (Monday thru Thursday) July 24-27 in Lebanon, TN at the Comfort Suites. Prize fund expected to be at least $13,000. Other events to be determined: The WCDF World Qualifier / Woman's World Championship, and the 3-Move World Title Match between Michelle Borghetti (Champion) and Sergio Scarpetta. 2016-06-07 Big Checker Events for Summer 2016 The World Qualifier & Women/Youth World Championship was held June 8-12 in Rome, Italy. Congratulations to WQT winner Sergio Scarpetta (Italy). Alex Moiseyev (USA) was 2nd. New Ladies 3-move World Champion is Amangul Berdiyeva (also GAYP champion) of Turkmenistan. New World Youth Champion (3 move) is Penagylych Ezizgylyjov (Turkmenistan). 1.

for the results of the QT: GAYP World Title Match (Michele Borghetti challenging Sergio Scarpetta) was held July 8-15 in Rome. Michele Borghetti won match 1-0 & 23 draws and becomes new GAYP World Champion. In 2017, Sergio Scarpetta will challenge Michele Borghetti for 3-Move World Title. US National is July 27-30 in Branson, Missouri with prize fund of about $18,000 expected 2015-10-03 Michele Borghetti narrowly wins World Qualifier; New Women's 3-move World Champion. 3-Move World Champion Michele Borghetti of Livorno, Italy earned right to challenge Sergio Scarpetta for the GAYP World Title in 2016. Michele finished in a 6-way tie for first along with Matteo Bernini, Ron King, Richard Beckwith, Igor Martynov, and Lubabo Kondlo -- this was the Top-6 order of finish by Sonneborn-Berger points.

The WCDF GAYP event was held in Knighton, Wales on September 21-24. For the Women's World Championship, Amangul Berdiyeva (Turkmenistan) regained the women's GAYP world title over Nadiya Chyzhevska (Ukraine), also on a tiebreaker decision. Wilma Branch of Barbados was 3rd. 2015-08-26 World Title Match Information on upcoming 3-move world title match between Michele Borghetti (Itlay) and Lubabalo Kondlo (South Africa), referee Alan Millhone, as sent from Sergio Scarpetta: August 30: pen Ceremony in the town hall of Livorno with local authority and the Ambassador of South Africa. From August 31 to September 12: the match starts at 9:00 am (Italian local time), 4 games each day. Rest days: September 3,7 and 10. Closing Ceremony 13 September at 10:30 (Italian local time). MATCH CONCLUSION: Michele Borghetti wins 40-game match with 6 wins to 1 loss, and retains 3-move world title.

*** Other News: The ACF "John Webster" National GAYP Tournament was won by Richard Beckwith (Ohio). Lorne Wells of Canada won the Majors. Grover Minor (NC) won the Minors. The 2nd Annual Branson Missouri Open Checker Tournament, sponsored by Joe McDaniel, had co-winners in Alex Moiseyev and Lubabalo Kondlo. Arthur Mays won the Majors. Total Cash prizes totaled just under $9000. The WCDF GAYP World Qualifier and Woman's World Championship will be held in Knighton, Wales on September 21-25. 2015-02-15 Alex Moiseyev defended 11-man ballot World title vs. Tim Laverty. Missouri Mixed Opening (3-Move and 11-man) is June 19-21 with $8000 in prizes.

ACF GAYP National Tournament is July 27-August 1 in Lebanon, TN The 3-Move World Title Match between Michele Borghetti (Italy) and challenger Lubabalo Kondlo (South Africa) will play August 31 to September 13 in Livorno, Italy. Referee is Alan Millhone. WCDF World Qualifier/Woman's World Championship is September 21-25 in Knighton, Wales. Masters/Women/youth players may inform ACF Exec if they to express interest to seek a nomination. This is a reminder to pay ACF dues for those who are still due (see ACF Info menu). ACF election ballot will appear in the April bulletin. 2014-12-04 2014 SportAccord WMG After a "demonstration event" appearance in 2012, Checkers returns to SportAccord World Mind Games in the Olympic Village in Beijing, China on December 11-17.

The four competitors (with expenses paid) will be Michele Borghetti (3-Move World Champion), Sergio Scarpetta (GAYP World Champion), Alex Moiseyev (2012 Gold Medalist), and Lubabalo Kondlo (2014 WQT winner). Referees are Richard Beckwith and Charles Walker. FINAL Result: Michele Borghetti comes back on last day to tie Sergio Scarpetta. Then Michele beat Sergio in two-game rapid playoff to take gold. Alex Moiseyev wins the bronze. 2014-11-14 2014 World Qualifier / Woman's World Championship Congratulations to Lubabalo Kondlo (South Africa) for winning the WCDF 3-Move World Qualifier on tie-breaker over Sergio Scarpetta of Italy. Alex Moiseyev was a point behind in 3rd place. Kondlo may challenge Michele Borghetti for the 3-move world title in 2015. Congratulations also to Nadiya Chyzhevska (Ukraine) for winning her 3rd consecutive Woman's World Checkers Championship.

USA hosted this WCDF event outside Louisville, Kentucky on November 13-16. 2014-07-23 ACF National Update Results for the "Don Lafferty" ACF 3-move National that concluded Sunday, July 27, in Louisville, Kentucky. Alex Moiseyev and Lubabalo Kondlo tied for first and are declared co-champions. Both had 36 points. 3rd-5th places in order (with honor point tie-break considered) were Ron King (36 pts), Richard Hallet (30 pts) and Jim Morrison (30 pts). Desmond Maughan of Barbados won the Majors division. Roger Doll was referee. 2014-07-04 Checkers World Title Match The World Title Match between Ron "Suki" King (GAYP Champion, Barbados) and Sergio Scarpetta (Challenger, Italy) is playing July 5-10 in Italy. Match is 24 games, 4 games a day.

When games are in progress, match can be viewed at Final report from Referee Ezio Valentini: Scarpetta won Games 21 and 22 by Ron's forfeit. Scarpetta win the match. Scarpetta 4 - King 1 - 2 games remaining and not played 2014-06-16 The week ahead Saturday, June 21 will be a busy day for ACF. The Missouri GAYP Tournament (Ozark Valley Inn, Branson, MO) boasts a prize fund of $4,000. The tournament is sponsored by David Seres and Joe & Jeannie McDaniel. Also on Saturday June 21 is the District 1 tournament in Dover, Massachusetts held by Richard White. [**UPDATE: Congrats to Jim Morrison and John Webster for being co-champions. Each won $1000**] The American Checker Federation is partnering with Alzheimer's Association "Longest Day" (with June 21 being the longest daylight day of the year) to promote brain health. Activities are planned in Ohio and North Carolina to promote checkers while raising money for Alzheimer's Research.

The ACF has a team goal of raising $1600 (and we're over half way there). Donations can be made at: 2014-03-15 Tournament News Alex Moiseyev won the 2014 11-man Ballot National held Jan 31-Feb 2 in Burlington, NC. Tim Laverty was 2nd. Alex Moiseyev won Tennessee Open, March 7-9, Lebanon, TN. John Webster placed 2nd, and Larry Keen (TN champ) was 3rd. The Majors & Minors divisions were won by Alex Homes and Trey Stanley. Upcoming events: GAYP Challenge Match 2014 between Ron King (Barbados) and Sergio Scarpetta (Italy) is scheduled to be played at Foggia, Italy on July 5-10, 2014. ACF 3-move National Tournament July 23-27 , Louisville, Kentucky, at Bluegrassmagic Gameshop. The youth National will be held July 19 here.

WCDF 3-Move World Qualifier & Woman's/Youth World Championship, November 13-16, Louisville, Kentucky at Bluegrassmagic Gameshop Donations for these upcoming events are needed and may be sent to Richard Beckwith, ACF Treasurer/ WCDF President, 34490 Ridge Road #115 Willoughby, OH 44094 or donate on-line at ACF Store: 2013-12-17 Two reminders... Bids for 2014 3-Move National Tournament are due December 31. For those whose ACF membership comes due near the end of the year, please remember to send in your dues. Memberships may also be paid via Paypal on ACF Store. New memberships and gift memberships are also welcome. Standard one-year membership is $40 within US. Richard Beckwith is serving as interim ACF Treasurer. 2013-11-10 Moiseyev retains 11-man Ballot World Title Congratulations to Alex Moiseyev who successfully defended his 11-Man Ballot World Match Title against challenger Tim Laverty. The final score was 5-0 with 7 draws.

Many thanks go to J.R. Smith for hosting the match in North Carolina. 2013-10-19 Sukifest Draughts Festival Results Congratulations to WCDF World Qualification Tournament winner, Sergio Scarpetta (Italy), who earns right to challenge Ron King for GAYP World title in a 24-game match in 2014. 2nd through 6th place went to Jack Francis, Jim Morrison, Colin Price, Michael Holmes and Charles Freeman. Congratulations to Nadiya Chyzhevska (Ukraine), who becomes Women�s World GAYP Champion, and to Alex Holmes, who becomes WCDF Youth Champion. Event was held October 8-11 in Barbados. A subsequent 4-round USA-Barbados match was held October 12-14, with Barbados winning. Referees: Richard Beckwith, Charles Walker 2013-08-03 Kondlo claims 2nd U.S. National Tournament Victory Congratulations to Lubabalo Kondlo (South Africa) for winning the ACF �Carl Reno� GAYP National Tournament, held at Holiday Inn in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 29-Aug. 2.

Lubabalo finished with 26 points. Next were Jack Francis (Barbados) and Rich Beckwith (USA), both with 25 points. Lubabalo also won the 2007 GAYP National. The Majors/Minors combined division had a tie for first between Gary Wilson and George Gerhauser. Joe Weaver was 3rd. Much credit also goes to referee, John Acker, and to all those who made donations to the event. More info may be found at: 2013-07-18 ACF National Tournament Approaching! The American Checker Federation (ACF) is pleased to announce its 2013 National Freestyle (GAYP) Checkers Tournament: July 29-August 3, in Cincinnati, Ohio. This year's tournament honors Carl Reno. See For hotel and pre-registration info. 2013-06-28 World 3-Move Title Match Conclusion Congratulations to Michele Borghetti, the new 3-Move Checkers World Champion!! Forza Miki! The final score: 6-3 with 29 draws.

2013-06-24 Checkers World Championship match- Italy (Moiseyev-Borghetti) Greetings from Italy! Please, remember that from June 25th to July 7th there will be the world match between the checkers world champion Alex Moiseyev and the challenger Michele Borghetti. The match will be played in l�Hotel La Vedetta di Montenero, very closed to the town of Livorno. Livorno is the town were Borghetti lives, but is also the town of the first Italian champions of the last century and we can consider this town as the cradle of Italian draughts. On June 20, in the town council hall there will be the press conference to present the match, and on June 24 the official opening ceremony. It will be possible to follow the games live on the website of the Italian Federation: Submitted by :Adolivio Capece (press officer) 2013-05-07 King Me! This long anticipated checkers documentary is now available to the general public!

King Me explores the surreal world of competitive checkers play as seen through the eyes of South African township resident, Lubabalo Kondlo. This documentary was done by our wonderful checker friends over at Think Media Studios. It has been raved about during several private screenings at checker events over the past year. Now you too can watch this fantastic documentary about the exciting world of competitive checkers on iTunes! Get the documentary here (itunes required) 2013-03-17 March News ACF Elections are complete. Congratulations go to Alan Millhone (President), John Acker (Treasurer), Travis Weddle (Secretary), and Michael Holmes (Master Player Rep). We also have new managers for District 5 (Larry Pollard) and District 9 (Mel Tungate). John Acker has replaced Charles Walker as world title match referee for the upcoming Moiseyev-Borghetti match, now scheduled in Livorno, Italy. Congratulations to Alex Moiseyev for winning both the 11-man Ballot National and Tennessee Open. Runner-up Tim Laverty will challenge Moiseyev for 11-man ballot world title.

2013-02-25 World Title Match update The Three-Move world title match between Alex Moiseyev (champion) and Michele Borghetti (challenger) will be held in Italy, tentatively June 26-July 7 in Fossano (northwest Italy). Referee will be Charles Walker. I thank the Italian Federation for preparing their WCDF-approved bid. Contributions to this much anticipated re-match are welcome via Paypal at ACF Store Donation page (�World Championship� button) or (within US) by mail to Richard Beckwith (beckwith24@msn.com for info). Please also consider donations (via ACF Store/Donations �Player Travel Fund�) toward airfare for Charles Walker (Referee) and John Acker, who will support our champ by accompanying him on the trip. At present, the Italian bid covers only 500 euro for Charles� airfare, and John has no external funding for his airfare. Richard Beckwith, 2013-02-19 ACF Election and Other Updates Due to mail delays with the February ACF bulletin, Election ballots will now be accepted through March 9.

ACF members, don't forget to vote! Congratulations to Alex Moiseyev for winning the 11-man Ballot National Tournament held Feb. 16-18 in Greensboro, NC. Tim Laverty was 2nd and has earned right to challenge for 11-man ballot world title. The Majors division was won by Bobby Gerringer. Many thanks to J.R. Smith and company for their promotional efforts. The ACF youth National will be May 24-27 at ICHF, Petal, MS. Play begins on 25th. The ACF �Carl Reno� GAYP National Tournament will be held the Holiday Inn I-275 North in Cincinnati, OH from July 29-August 3. See acfnationals.com. The 2013 World Qualification Tournament has been awarded to Barbados on Sept. 29-Oct 5. The overall winner of the tournament challenges Ron King for the GAYP World Title in 2014. The 2013 Qualification tournament will include GAYP World Championship events for both women and youth. Federations in good WCDF standing may nominate two players for each division.

2012-12-19 Alex Moiseyev wins SportAccord Gold! Alex Moiseyev won the Gold medal for USA in Beijing, China SportAccord Event, Dec. 13-19 with 13 points. Lubabalo Kondlo (South Africa) won the Silver medal in a rapid-play playoff with Michele Borghetti, who took the bronze. Both had 12 points. Ron King (11 pts.) of Barbados was 4th. Referee was Richard Beckwith. 2012-10-14 October News Alex Moiseyev successfully defended his world 11-man ballot title in a 16-game match by defeating Richard Beckwith 4-0 with 9 draws. The match was held Oct. 6-9 at Cleveland Public Library and Rodeway Inn, Medina, OH. ACF calls for bids for the 2013 GAYP National Tournament, and also for ACF officer nominations (both due Dec. 31). WCDF calls for bids (due Dec. 1) for 2013 World Qualification Tournament and for Moiseyev-Borghetti 3-Move world Title Match.

John Acker is now temporarily serving as ACF treasurer (replacing Kim Willis) until elections. ACF Dues (new or renewal) may be sent to John at 668 Stinchcomb Dr., Apt. 10, Columbus, OH 43202, or dues may be paid via Paypal at Store menu. 2012-08-28 Lille WMSG Results Michele Borghetti of Italy wins checkers gold at the 2012 World Mind Sports Games in Lille, France, August 17-22. Sergio Scarpetta of Italy took the silver medal, followed by Bashim Durdyev (Turkmenistan) who defeated Ron King in the final round to win bronze. Borhetti can now challenge Alex Moiseyev for the 3-move World Title in 2013, and bids are being solicited. In the first ever ladies World Championship, newcomer Nadiya Chyzhevska of Ukraine won gold and is now ladies 3-move World Champion. Amangul Berdiyeva (Turkmenistan) was 2nd, followed by Erika Rosso (Italy).

The annual General Assembly of the World Checker Draughts Federation (WCDF) was held in Lille on August 19. Richard Beckwith was elected new president, replacing Hugh Devlin. Sune Thrane was elected to the vacated Vice President spot. 2012-08-05 Alex wins at ACF "Hugh Burton" 3-Move National Tournament World Champion Alex Moiseyev (USA) won the 2012 US Nationals with 24 points, ahead of GAYP-World Champion Ron "Suki" King (Barbados) on 21 points. Third place went to Grandmaster Lubabalo Kondlo (South Africa) on 19 points in his first top level 3-move tournament. Congratulations to these three outstanding players and all other participants! The major event was won by 13-year-old (!) Alex Holmes (USA), while George Stallsworth (USA) won the minor event. Full results: Last but not least, John Acker deserves full credit for providing the results, as well as a live stream of each round.

from Ingo Zachos (ACF forum) 2012-07-30 ACF National Tournament News Congratulations to the American Youth Champion, Alex Holmes, who scored 28 out of 28 points in the ACF �Arthur Niederhoffer� Youth Tournament in Lebanon, TN, July 28 & 29. 2nd place and US Girls title went to Laura Parker. The main US 3-Move National Tournament is underway. See also John Acker�s updates at 2012-07-18 GAYP World Title Match Update Ron "Suki" King retains his GAYP world title in Italy, drawing the 24-game match with Sergio Scarpetta 2-2 (20 draws). 2012-07-14 World Title Match Update The start of the King-Scarpetta GAYP world title match will be delayed (by maybe one day) by mutual agreement. Ron King expected to arrive late Sunday in Italy.

Peek in on match at The World 11-Man Ballot Match between Alex Moiseyev (current champion) and Richard Beckwith is scheduled for October 6-9, 2012, 16-game match, with additional 4 games if a tie. Match will be held at Cleveland Public Library (first day) and Medina, Ohio. Referee is Steve Holliday. John Acker will also cover the match. The World GAYP Women�s Championship Match between defending champion Amangul Berdiyeva (Turkmenistan) and challenger Erika Rosso (Italy) will take place December 2-9, 2012 in Saint Marcel (Aosta) Italy. Referee will be Dr. John Reade. Donations to any matches are appreciated and may be done at ACF Store / Donations page. 2012-05-16 Big Summer Events Approaching!

The World GAYP Championship Match between defending champion Ron King (Barbados) and challenger Sergio Scarpetta (Italy) will take place at the �Hotel Parco della Rose�, San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy from 15th � 20th July 2012. The Referee will be Ian Caws. U.S. Nationals (honoring Hugh Burton) will play in Lebanon, TN on July 30- August 4. (Don�t forget about the �Arthur Niederhoffer� youth tournament on July 28 & 29.) Regarding scoring method vote in April bulletin, Masters voted to amend the scoring system to ballot scoring effective with this year's National Tournament. Majors and Minors voted to retain their current method of scoring by game. The 2nd World Mind Sports Games will take place in Lille, France, from 9th � 23rd August 2012. Checkers will have two events running simultaneously � a men�s event (doubles as World Qualifier) and a women�s event (doubles as Woman�s world championship). Play occurs Aug. 17-22 (19th is free day).

Hotel & venue information is found at: U.S. will be represented by Jim Morrison, Richard Beckwith, Charles Freeman, and Kim Willis. 2012-03-01 Arrangements are in progress for the following 2012 matches: Sergio Scarpetta � Ron King GAYP World Title Match Erika Rosso � Amangul Berdiyeva GAYP World Title Ladies Match Richard Beckwith wins 11-man Ballot National Tournament in Greensboro, NC on Feb. 17-19. He now can challenge Alex Moiseyev for 11-man World Title, with match to be tentatively played in early July in Cleveland area. Mike Ross won the Majors Division at the 11-Man National. The �King Me� film (ThinkMedia Studios) will show at the Cleveland Film Festival on March 27, 28, 29. We still await official word on the 2012 World Mind Sports Games. There is a tentative plan for 9th - 23rd August, with Lille Grand Palais (Lille, France) the venue.

2012-01-19 January News Bits The 11-Man Ballot National will take place February 17-19 in Greensboro, NC. The 2012 National 3-move Tournament is scheduled for July 30-August 4 in Lebanon, TN. This bid was awarded to Frank & Mary Davis. Joe Moore has assumed role of ACF ratings processor. ACF ratings appear here at Updated WCDF ratings are anticipated by the end of January. Richard Beckwith, American Checkers (English Draughts) Rules Sign up for the free email newsletter Checkers Rules To play Checkers download Net Checkers for Windows. I American Checkers, also known as English draughts, is played on the dark squares only of a standard checkerboard of 64 alternating dark and light squares(eight rows, eight columns), by two opponents having 12 Checkers each of contrasting colors, normally referred to as black and white. (Serious Checkers players generally use red and white (sometimes yellow) Checkers, and green and buff checkerboards.

In any case, colors of the Checkers and the board should be different in order to provide good contrast, and especially to avoid such combinations as black Checkers on black squares.) II The board is positioned squarely between the players and turned so that a dark square is on each player's left-hand side and the double-corner on the right. Each player places his Checkers on the dark squares of the three rows nearest him. The player with the darker Checkers makes the first move of the game, and the players take turns there after, making one move at a time. III The object of the game is to prevent the opponent from being able to move when it is his turn to do so. This is accomplished either by capturing all of the opponent's Checkers, or by blocking those that remain so that none of them can be moved. If neither player can accomplish this, the game is a draw. IV Single Checkers, known as men, move forward only, one square at a time in a diagonal direction, to an unoccupied square. Men capture by jumping over an opposing man on a diagonally adjacent square to the square immediately beyond, but may do so only if this square is unoccupied.

Men may jump forward only, and may continue jumping as long as they encounter opposing Checkers with unoccupied squares immediately beyond them. Men may never jump over Checkers of the same color. Many players believe that Men can NOT jump Kings. This is incorrect Men may jump Kings in the same manner that they capture other Men. V A man which reaches the far side of the board, whether by means of a jump or a simple move, becomes a King, and the move terminates. The opponent must then crown the new King by placing a Checker of the same color on top it. A player is not permitted to make his own move until he crowns his opponent's King. VI Kings move forward or backward, one square at a time in a diagonal direction to an unoccupied square. Kings capture by jumping, forward or backward, over an opposing man or king on a diagonally adjacent square to the square immediately beyond, but may do so only if this square is unoccupied. Kings may continue jumping as long as they encounter opposing Checkers with unoccupied squares immediately beyond them. Kings may never jump over Checkers of the same color. They may never jump over the same opposing man or king more than once.

VII Whenever a player is able to make a capture he must do so. When there is more than one way to jump, a player may choose any way he wishes, not necessarily the one which results in the capture of the greatest number of opposing units. However, once a player chooses asequence of captures, he must make all the captures possible in that sequence. He may not leave one or more Checkers uncaptured that he could capture simply by continuing to jump. A "HUFF" of a Checker for failure to jump properly is not permitted as it was in the past. The incorrect move must be retracted, and a correct move must be made. If possible, the correct move must be made with the man or King originally moved incorrectly. VIII Time limits for play may be based on a fixed amount of time for each move, with less time allowed for situations in which there is one, and only one, capturing move possible, or on a fixed amount of time for a given number of moves, without regard to how much of this time is used on any one move.

When the latter method is used, and the given number of moves has been made by each player, with neither having used up the allotted time, an additional allotment of time and moves is given to each. This continues until the conclusion of the game. Unused time is retained when a new allotment is given. A player loses a game if his time expires before he has completed the required number of moves. Source: TRIPLEJUMP.net Historical Excursus There is a good evidence of the game's ancient origin, both factual and circumstantial. That checkers was played in the days of the earlier Pharaohs is well authenticated by Egyptian history and the British museum contains specimens of primitive board quite similar to the modern ones. The roots of the checkers are intertwined with those of chess, a sister game, and there is some conjecture over priority. Checkers being simpler in form, it is reasonable to presume it was devised first, and that chess followed as an elaboration. Plato and Homer mention checkers in their works and the Romans are believed to have imported it from Greece.

Comparison of these games of antiquity with the modern pastime may be speculative, nevertheless, the earliest publications on record show the 12 men on each side and the conventional board. Antonio Torquemada of Valencia, Spain, published the first book on checkers in 1547. Other Spanish issues followed and in 1650 Juan Garsia Canalejas published a notable volume containing games and traps that are still dependable. The Spaniards may have received their knowledge from older sources in Arabia through the Moors. William Payne, a mathematician, was the pioneer of English draughts literature and his book, Guide to the Game of Draughts, appeared in 1756. A striking feature of Payne's book is the dedication by Samuel Johnson, who was exceedingly fond of the game. In 1800 Joshua Sturges brought out a treatise that served as a textbook for nearly half a century until the advent of Andrew Anderson's elaborate compilation in 1848. Thereafter the literature grew at a rapid pace and by 1900 the books counted up in the hundreds. After 1900 the growth of scientific play was stepped up by the advancement of U.S.

players, who made rapid progress, spurred on by their first team match with a representative British group in 1905. Books Want to learn game strategies and rules? Check out these books! Bookmark us, so you can remember where you saw that Checkers book! These books are shipped from Amazon. Halma, Chinese Checkers - Online Guide Halma Most people consider that Halma is a Victorian British game and perhaps it was the Victorians who took to the game and made it popular. However, the Games historian Bruce Whitehill in the early 2000s undertook a quest to prove that Halma was American and indeed he found plenty of evidence to this end. Bruce's article on the subject says "HALMA was invented between 1883 and 1884 by George Howard Monks, an American thoracic surgeon at Harvard Medical School. Robert Monks, brother of G.H. Monks, discovered the British game of HOPPITY during a trip to England in 1883 or 1884.

He described the game to his brother George, apparently, who then took a couple of suggestions from HOPPITY and created HALMA, but not in such a way as to infringe on HOPPITY's copyright." Apparently, a mathematician and preacher called Thomas Hill, who later became president of Harvard, was also involved in the development of the game and it was he who came up with the name "Halma" which is Greek for "jump" (a story reminiscent of the game, Jenga, which means 'build' in Swahili, invented a century later). George Monks filed Patent number: 383653 on Dec 14, 1887 and it was issued in May 1888. E.I.Horsman (see below) first published Halma but the rights to it were challenged in the courts by Milton Bradley. MB lost the war and ended up publishing a slight variant under the name "Eckha". In England, F.H. Ayres included some rules in a handbook copyrighted in 1889, which is the earliest British record yet found by this author, and it was also published by Jaques, Spears and probably other manufacturers around this time.

The objective of Halma is to move all your pieces from your corner into the opposing corner. Each turn, a piece is moved to the adjacent square or, if possible, a piece can be moved by hopping over an adjacent piece into the hole the other side from where it can hop over another adjacent piece if such exists and so on. The game starts to get interesting when there are lots of pieces in the centre as a turn then will usually consist of a single piece making multiple hops over several pieces and moving some distance. To the left is shown a box for holding Halma pieces owned by the author's parents'. Next, a commercial board from the 1930s, 1940s. Picture by kind permission Kidd's Toys. Below, a wooden Halma game owned by the author set up as for the start of the game. The origin of this board is unknown - anyone have any ideas? Below right - the earliest American board that the author has come across was a simple cardboard version without the pieces. A sticker on the board read "Halma Pat. May 29 1888. Published by E.I. Horsman, New York. Copyrighted 1885".

Bruce Whitehill believes that this was the earliest publication of the game. Chinese Checkers Chinese Checkers, disappointingly for historians, is no more than Halma transported to a star shaped board. It was first patented by Ravensburger, the famous German games company, under the name Stern-Halma in Germany 1892, only a few years after Halma appeared. Various apparently unsuccessful versions turned up over the next few decades in the US, England and Germany until in 1928, J. Pressman & Co. published the game and it boomed. It was originally called "Hop Ching Checker Game" but it appears that the owners Bill & Jack Pressman renamed it as "Chinese Checkers" before it took off. There were legal wranglings regarding it's similarity to Halma and also the name "Chinese Checkers". Many copycat manufacturers have used the same name ever since and although Milton Bradley somehow managed to obtain rights to the name in 1941, this achievement didn't seem to affect anything in that regard.

In Chinese Checkers, which can be played by 2, 3, 4 or 6 people, each person starts with a set of uniquely coloured pieces in the point of one of the stars. The objective is simply to be the first to move all the pieces across the board and into the star point opposite. Pieces move a single point or else hop over other pieces in order to advance their pieces as quickly as possible. The middle part of the game becomes quite a challenge as the options for hopping vary rapidly as the game changes shape. The player who can best create and take advantage of hopping opportunities will tend to win. The game is both complex but is also easy to play and learn and the author recommends it as a suitable first game for very young children. To the right is an attractive wooden board with wooden pegs bought by in Switzerland. Where to Buy Masters Traditional Games sells some nice versions of Chinese Checkers . It also sells a completely unique beautiful wooden Halma board. Rules Rules for Halma and Chinese Checkers are available for free from the Masters Traditional Games website. English checkers - YouTube English checkers Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video?

Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Jul 16, 2011 Rules of English checkers Each player starts out with twelve colored disks called checkers. The first player controls the Red checkers, and the second player controls the White ones. The pieces may only move one space diagonally forward, so that they always remain on the dark colored squares. When an opponent's piece blocks the normal movement of your piece, and the square beyond it is empty, you must capture your opponent's piece by jumping over it and removing it from the board. If you jump over an opponent's piece and land on a square from which you can subsequently capture another of your opponent's pieces, you are required to jump the additional piece. When you move one of your pieces to your opponent's edge of the board, that piece becomes a king, and is able to move not only diagonally forward, but diagonally backward as well. When your piece becomes a king, that ends your turn, even if you could, as a king, make a subsequent jump.

Category Checkers | Appmona Paid Checkers English draughts or checkers (American English and Canadian English), also called American checkers or Straight checkers, is a form of the strategy board game draughts. It is played on an 8×8 checkque… DEVELOPER SCREENSHOTS English draughts or checkers (American English and Canadian English), also called American checkers or Straight checkers, is a form of the strategy board game draughts. It is played on an 8×8 checkquerd board with twelve pieces per side. The pieces move and capture diagonally forward, until they reach the opposite end of the board, when they are crowned and may thereafter move and capture both backward and forward. A simple move consists of sliding a piece one square diagonally to an adjacent unoccupied dark square. Uncrowned pieces may move only diagonally forward; kings may move in any diagonal direction. A jump is a move from a square diagonally adjacent to an opponent's piece to an empty square immediately beyond it, in the same direction. Uncrowned pieces may jump only diagonally forward; kings may jump in any diagonal direction. A jumped piece is considered "captured" and removed from the game.

Any piece, whether crowned or not, may jump a king. Multiple jumps are possible, if after one jump, another piece is immediately eligible to be jumpedeven if that jump is in a different diagonal direction. If more than one multiple-jump move is available, the player may choose which piece to jump with, and which jumping option or sequence of jumps to make. The jumping sequence chosen is not required to be the one that maximizes the number of jumps in the turn; however, a player must make all available jumps in the sequence chosen. News Online checkers – Free checkers game on the Internet CURRENT MONTH Play checkers online The checkers game (draughts) is one of the most popular classic games that exists nowadays to play on the Internet. It’s played on a 8x8 squares board, similar to chess, and always between 2 players. It’s a turn based strategy board game that requires wits. Casual Arena allows you to play checkers online and for free through this page but also with your Android, iPhone or iPad. Check the checkers rules to learn how to play or practice with the solo game option.

The variant we offer in this website is the English or American checkers, which is the most popular in the world, and also the one that we talk about on the rules page. Checkers

Question: What is the English name of the American game of checkers?
Answer: Draughts