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Canadian Checkers

CANADA is known for many regional legends, and even in the game of Checkers, there exists a legend about the origin of the Canadian version. According to this legend, some time during the 19th century, a traveller came from Europe, where he had become enthralled with a game called ‘le jeu de dames’, or Draughts.

Here, in Canada, he tried to reproduce the same game but could not remember the actual number of squares on the playing board so he added an additional row of squares all the way around the game board, which created 144 squares in total. Therefore, the playing surface of the Canadian game became a 12 x 12 board, instead of the 10 x 10 board of the European strategy game. As a result, this game was named “le jeu de dames canadien” or Canadian checkers.

“Le jeu de dames canadien”, also known as Montreal or Quebec checkers, became a very popular game of strategy amongst the French-speaking communities of Quebec, Ontario, and New England. Later, the interest in this board game spread to other communities throughout Canada and is still a common activity pursued by many Canadian game enthusiasts, just as it is the world over. In fact, Canadian checkers is also played in India and Sri Lanka.

Rules of Play:

The Game Board ~

1. two player game played on the dark squares only of a checkerboard 12 x 12 in light and dark squares (144 squares)
2. each opponent has 30 checkers of contrasting colours, often referred to as ‘black’ and ‘white’
3. checkerboard is positioned squarely between the opponents and is turned so that a double corner is on the right of each player and a dark square is on the left side of each player
4. each opponent places the checkers or men on the dark squares of the five rows nearest the player

Object of the Game ~

1. object of the game is to win by preventing the opposition from making a move on his/her turn; therefore, strategy is applied to try to either capture all the opponent’s checkers, or to block moves of the remaining checkers on the board
2. if neither player can capture all the opponent’s checkers or block future moves, then the game is a draw

Starting Position ~

1. the opponent with the lighter coloured checkers makes the first move of the game, and then the players alternate moves afterward

Game Moves & Captures ~

1. players make only one move at a time
2. single checkers or men move forward only in a diagonal direction either left or right one square at a time to an empty space
3. all captures are mandatory; if a checker can be jumped, then the player must make this move, regardless if he/she can make another move
4. maximum captures are also compulsory; this means that if there is a choice of play wherein 2 checkers can be captured with one move or 3 checkers with another move, then the player must choose the latter capture
5. capture is made by jumping over an opposing checker onto on a diagonally adjacent square to the unoccupied square immediately beyond
6. checker pieces may jump forward or backward
7. continuous jumps take place as long as there are opposing checkers situated near empty squares
8. a player may not jump his/her own checkers to begin or complete a move
9. a checker or king cannot jump over the same opposing man or king more than once
10. players may not remove the captured checker(s) from the board until all jumps made in the move are complete and the opponent’s hand is removed from the capturing checker or king

Crowned to become King ~

1. when a checker reaches the opponent’s last row or ‘King Row’, this checker is crowned or ‘kinged’; however, if the checker reaches the ‘king row’ through a jump, and is still able to capture another man or king by jumping backward away from the ‘king row’, then this move must be made, and the checker does not become a king
2. the checker only becomes a king if the move or series of jumps ends at the ‘king row’
3. once the checker successfully reaches the opponent’s far row, it is then the opponent’s turn and he/she must crown the new king by placing a checker of the same colour on top
4. a player may not make his/her own move until the opponent’s checker is crowned

King Moves ~

1. kings may move forward or backward any number of squares in a diagonal direction to an empty square
2. capture by kings is accomplished from any distance along a diagonal line by jumping forward or backward over an opposing checker or king as long as at least one unoccupied square is just beyond
3. a capturing king lands on an empty square and continues jumping, if possible, on the same line or by making a right angle move onto another diagonal line
4. kings may not jump over their own men
5. when there is the option of more than one way to jump, the opponent must choose the move that results in the capture of the greatest number of opposing checkers
6. a “huff” of a checker for failure to complete the jump properly is not permitted
7. an incorrect move must be retracted, and then replaced with the correct move; if possible, the correct move must be made with the checker or king that was originally moved incorrectly

Time Limits ~

1. time limits for game play are set based on a fixed amount of time for a given number of moves, regardless of how much actual time is used on any one move
2. when the given number of moves has been made by each opponent and neither player has used up the allotted time, the players are each given additional moves and time allotment; this procedure continues until the conclusion of the checkers game
3. unused time is retained when a new allotment is given to each player
4. a player loses the game if his/her time expires before the required number of moves have been completed

A Draw Occurs ~

1. when both opponents agree to the draw
2. the same game position is encountered three times
3. each opponent has played 16 moves without any capture or promotion, and there are three kings against one

Rules of Player and Spectator Conduct ~

These are the same as those instituted for any tournament match.

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