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Checkers Around the World
Danish Checkers/Draughts Game
Denmark
 
In Denmark (Danmark), the game of Draughts
(Checkers) has become a very popular game
of strategy, which is being promoted by the
Danish Draughts Federation. Regular tournaments
are being held in Denmark. The Danish checkers game players
are now often nominated to world championship
checker matches. Though, historically,
the simple game of Denmark checkers was one
more frequently played by children, it’s
inherent and deceptively deep complexity
has won the interest of seasoned master players
in popular Danish society. The international
competitive spirit in Checkers has touched
this small European country so that more ‘Checkers
masters’ will
assuredly be forthcoming in the future.
Danish Checkers Rules of Play:
~ The Checkers Game Board ~
In Denmark, Dam ~ ‘brætspil’ ~
is a tactical board game that is played by
two opponents on an 8 x 8 chess board (64 squares)
with 32 playable squares or a 10 x 10 checkerboard
(100 squares) with 50 playable squares.
- The checkerboard consists of light and
dark squares and once again only the dark
squares are used as the playing surface.
- The opponents begin with 12 checkers,
when playing on a 64 square game board
or 15 checkers, when playing on a 100 square
game board.
- The checkers are placed on opposite
sides of the checkerboard.
- The checkers are set in contrasting colors
of light and dark, often white and red,
which may also be called ‘black’.
- The checkerboard is positioned squarely
between the two players before the game
begins so that a dark square is on the
left side of each checkers opponent and
the double corner is on the right side
of each player.
~ Object of the Checkers (Brætspil) Game ~
- To strategically outmaneuver the opponent’s
play by either capturing all his/her checkers
or by tactically blocking any further moves
of the remaining checkers on the game board.
- If neither player can capture all the
opponent’s checkers or block future
moves, then the game is considered a draw.
~ Game Starting Position
~
8 x 8 checker board
- Each opponent positions the checkers
on the dark squares of the first 3 rows
nearest to the player, both for the 8 x
8 and 10 x 10 checkerboards.
- The player with the dark or ‘black’ checkers
commences the game by making the first
move diagonally forward.
(At least one site denotes that the ‘white’checkers
always begin; however, according to the
Danish Draughts-Checkers Federation, the
rules state that the dark checkers start
the game with the first move.)
- Thereafter, the players of Danish Checkers
alternate turns with one move at a time.
~ Legal Checkers Moves ~
~ Game Moves and Captures ~
- With each play, the opponents may only
make one move at a time.
- The checker piece can only be moved one
square diagonally forward to the right
or to the left to an adjacent unoccupied
space unless it can jump one or more of
the opponent’s checkers and thus
capture them.
- All captures are mandatory; if a jump
can be made, it must be made.
~ Mandatory Danish Checkers Capture ~
- The forced capture rule is the most important
rule in draughts (checkers) and according
to the Danish Draughts Federation, the
beauty and complexity of the game is the
result of this rule.
- If a player has a choice between jumps,
then he/she can choose freely the one that
best suits the checkers game strategy.
- It is not mandatory to select the jump
that captures the most checkers.
- It is illegal for a player to jump his/her
own checker piece to advance a move.
- No player may jump over the same opposing
checker or king more than once.
- Captured checkers may not be removed
from the game board until all jumps in
the move are complete and the player’s
hand has been removed from the capturing
checker or king.
~ Crowned to become King ~
- When a checker reaches the last or
‘king’ row
of the opponent, it is crowned by the opponent
by typically placing an extra checker on
top of the original piece.
- A‘kinged’ or
crowned checker cannot make longer moves
than regular checker pieces, and it can
also be jumped by other checkers.
- Crowned checkers can now jump backwards but this
must still only be in a diagonal path to the left or
to the right on adjacent empty.
- If the checker jumps into the opponent’s
last row, the checker is
‘kinged’ but
it is not crowned until the next turn,
and therefore, the player cannot jump backwards
in the same turn.
- If a player can jump the opponent’s
checker into the last row but there is
another checker in a diagonal path away
from the king row, then this must also
be jumped and the move does not qualify
for crowning the player’s checker
because the checker piece did not end up
in the king row.
~ Danish King Moves ~
- Once crowned a king, a checker can now
move backwards but this ability to move
backwards is the only real difference a
king and a regular checker piece.
- A king can move all around the checkerboard
on right and left diagonals adjacent to
where the king piece is situated as long
as there are unoccupied squares to move
onto.
- A king is capable of capturing forwards
and backwards.
~ Win or Draw at Denmarks Checkers? ~
- A checkers player wins the game once he/she
has captured all the opponents men or has blocked
any further legal moves of the opponent.
- If, after 100 moves, no checkers have
been captured, the game ends in a draw.
- If either one or both of the opponents
only have one checker piece left, then
the limits of the moves is reduced to 50.
- A player loses the game if he/she no
longer has any checkers left.
- Forfeiture of the ga me takes place when
a player makes an illegal move or refuses
to follow game procedure.
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