International Draughts
ACTIVEWorld Championship Standard (FMJD Official Rules)
Flying KingBackward JumpsMajority Capture
Master the official FMJD international standards and traditional regional rulebooks with move diagrams, capture laws, and side-by-side matrices.
World Championship Standard (FMJD Official Rules)
World Championship Standard (FMJD Official Rules)
East African Regional Rules (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) • Men Capture Backwards
Tanzanian Competitive Drafti • Men Move & Capture Forward Only
Flying Kings & Famous In-Flight Promotion
International FMJD Rules Adapted to an 8×8 Grid
Classic 8×8 Checkers (No Backward Jump, 1-Step Kings)
Iberian Rules with Quality Capture Priority
American Pool Rules with Flying Kings & Free Choice
Compare key regulatory pivots: flying kings vs single-step kings, backward man captures, mandatory majority capture, and in-flight promotion across international codes.
| Variant | Board | Pieces | Flying King | Backward Jump | In-Flight Promotion | Capture Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Draughts | 10×10 (100 squares, 50 dark) | 20 pieces per player | Yes (Long-range) | Yes | End of turn only | Majority Rule (must capture maximum pieces) |
| East African Draughts | 8×8 (64 squares, 32 dark) | 12 pieces per player | Yes (Long-range) | Yes | End of turn only | Mandatory (free choice: any legal branch allowed) |
| Tanzanian Drafti | 8×8 (64 squares, 32 dark) | 12 pieces per player | Yes (Long-range) | Forward only | End of turn only | Mandatory (free choice: any legal branch allowed) |
| Russian Shashki | 8×8 (64 squares, 32 dark) | 12 pieces per player | Yes (Long-range) | Yes | End of turn only | Mandatory (any legal capture branch allowed) |
| Brazilian Draughts | 8×8 (64 squares, 32 dark) | 12 pieces per player | Yes (Long-range) | Yes | End of turn only | Majority Rule (must capture maximum pieces) |
| English / American Checkers | 8×8 (64 squares, 32 dark) | 12 pieces per player | No (1 step) | Forward only | End of turn only | Mandatory (any capture branch allowed) |
| Spanish Damas | 8×8 (64 squares) | 12 pieces per player | Yes (Long-range) | Forward only | End of turn only | Quality Rule (must capture highest rank / most Kings) |
| Pool Checkers | 8×8 (64 squares, 32 dark) | 12 pieces per player | Yes (Long-range) | Yes | End of turn only | Free Choice (any legal capture branch allowed) |
Across every continent and historical variation, these three foundational rules define draughts and checkers:
Pieces move strictly across diagonal dark squares. Light squares are unused, creating a 50-square or 32-square active battlefield.
If an opposing piece is adjacent with an empty square beyond, you cannot make an ordinary move—you MUST execute the jump.
A man reaching the opponent's far edge is crowned a King, unlocking bidirectional movement and enhanced tactical scope.
Master the competitive terminology used by tournament arbiters, grandmasters, and the World Draughts Federation (FMJD).
Answers to common questions regarding tournament regulations, piece mechanics, and rule disputes.
The single difference between East African Draughts (east-africa-8) and Tanzanian Drafti (tanzanian-8) is backward capture for ordinary men: in East African Draughts, ordinary men can capture both forwards and backwards. In Tanzanian Drafti, ordinary men can capture FORWARD ONLY (backward jumps by men are strictly illegal). All other rules are identical: both are played on an 8×8 board with 12 pieces each, both use Flying Kings (Wafalme) that fly across open diagonals, both enforce mandatory captures, and both feature free choice (no majority capture requirement).
International Draughts is played on a 10×10 board with 20 pieces per side, featuring flying kings (which slide across multiple empty squares) and backward captures for ordinary men. Classic English/American Checkers uses an 8×8 board with 12 pieces per player, where men can only jump forward and kings can only step or jump one square at a time.
Under official FMJD (World Draughts Federation) and Brazilian rules, when multiple legal capturing paths are available, a player must choose the path that captures the highest number of opposing pieces. In contrast, Spanish Damas uses 'quality capture' (capturing kings first), while English, Pool, East African, and Tanzanian draughts allow free choice among any capturing path.
A flying king (used in International 10×10, East African, Tanzanian, Russian, Brazilian, Spanish, and Pool checkers) can slide diagonally across any number of unoccupied squares in any direction. When capturing, it can jump an opposing piece from a distance and land on any vacant square along the same diagonal line behind the captured piece.
In International 10×10, East African Draughts, Russian Shashki, Brazilian Draughts, and Pool Checkers, regular men can capture both forwards and backwards. In contrast, Tanzanian Drafti, English/American Checkers, and Spanish Damas restrict ordinary men to forward captures only.
In Russian Shashki, if an ordinary man touches the crowning row during a multi-jump sequence and can continue jumping as a king, it is immediately promoted 'in-flight' and continues the jump sequence using flying king powers. In most other variants, promotion only becomes effective at the end of the turn.
No. 'Huffing'—removing an opponent's piece as a penalty for failing to execute a mandatory capture—was abolished in modern tournament rules. Under official FMJD regulations, all captures are strictly mandatory; if a player makes an ordinary move when a jump is available, the illegal move must be retracted and the jump performed.