Gameweave

Checkers

Checkers (also known as Draughts) is a classic two-player strategy board game played on an 8x8 board. Players compete to capture all of the opponent's pieces or leave them with no legal moves.

Players

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Red moves first
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Black moves second
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Players alternate turns

Setup

Each player places 12 pieces (men) on the dark squares of the three rows closest to them:
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Red occupies rows 1-3
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Black occupies rows 6-8
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Only dark (diagonal) squares are used

Pieces

Man

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Moves one square diagonally forward to an adjacent dark square
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Captures by jumping diagonally forward over an opponent's piece to the empty square beyond it
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Each player starts with 12 men

King

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Created when a man reaches the opposite back row (king's row)
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Moves one square diagonally in any direction (forward or backward)
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Captures by jumping diagonally in any direction over an opponent's piece

Capturing (Jumping)

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If an adjacent diagonal square contains an opponent's piece and the square beyond it is empty, you must jump over the opponent's piece to that empty square
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The captured piece is removed from the board
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Mandatory capture: if a jump is available, it must be taken
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Multiple jumps: if a piece lands after a jump and can immediately jump another piece, it must continue jumping in the same turn

Promotion

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When a man reaches the opposite end of the board (the king's row), it is crowned and becomes a king
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Kings are typically indicated by stacking a second piece on top or by a crown symbol

Winning

The game is won by:
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Capturing all of the opponent's pieces, or
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Leaving the opponent with no legal moves