Armenian draughts, one of the many variants of the game of checkers. The Armenian draughts is like Turkish draughts, but the moves and captures are made not only vertically, but also diagonally.
Armenian draughts rules
Board and initial placement
To play Armenian checkers, a rectangular 8 × 8 squares checkers board is used. The color of the squares do not matter. Player’s pieces are placed on the second and third row horizontally from each player side. The first horizontal row from the player remains unoccupied. Each player has 16 pieces (2 rows of 8 pieces per row), one in each square. Each player have a different color of pieces.
Moves
- A simple piece moves one field forward (vertically or diagonally), left or right.
- The king moves on any number of empty fields vertically, horizontally or diagonally in any of 8 directions. After capturing a piece with a king, it’s not necessary to land immediately next to the taken piece. It can be placed on any empty square on the same path.
Captures
- Captures are mandatory. If a player during his turn has a valid possibility to capture the opponent’s piece (or pieces), he must do it. The jump is possible only when the next square to the opponent’s piece is empty.
- If after capturing a piece, you have another eligible opponent piece to capture, you have to continue your multi-jumps (in a single move you can jump over any number of eligible enemy pieces).
- If you have more than one capture option, you must choose the one in which the maximum number of enemy pieces is jumped. This applies to both simple pieces and kings.
- If you have more than one capture option with an equal number of pieces to be taken, the player has the right to choose any of them.
- A simple piece can jump over an opponent’s piece forward, right or left (but not backward) vertically or horizontally.
- A king can jump over an opponent’s piece even many number of empty cells far from it vertically and horizontally. Like a simple piece, a king can capture several enemy pieces in one move.
- When making multi-jumps, the captured pieces are removed immediately during the capture after being jumped over. This is done so as not to jump twice in one move over the same piece.
Crowning
- A simple piece that has reached the eighth horizontal row becomes a king.
- If a simple piece reaches the last horizontal line upon capture, then it can continue the capture in the same move, but as a king.
Wining the game
- The winner is the one who was able to capture all the pieces of the enemy, or to deprive them of the opportunity to move.
- A draw is possible by agreement of the two players.