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German Checkers ~ Deutschland ‘Das Damenspiel’

Traditional Germany Gothic Checkers

Rules of Play:

~ Game Board ~

• Gothic checkers is played on an 8 x 8 square checkerboard (64 squares) where all the squares are used (unlike modern checkers where the game is played only on the dark squares).

~ Object of the Game ~

• The goal of this ancient game is to capture all the opponent’s ‘stones’, which were called ‘soldiers’ and thereby win the play.

~ Starting Position ~

• Each player has sixteen checker pieces or ‘soldiers’ and these are placed on the first two rows of the board, side by side so that every square is used.
  
  
• Random opening may have been employed to start the game and then each opponent takes a turn to move his/her soldiers.

~ Game Moves & Captures ~

~ Crowned to become King ~

• When a soldier reaches the back row, it is crowned to become King.
  
  
• King checkers can move in all eight directions, but can only capture adjacent pieces by jumping over them to the next square

Modern German Draughts/Checkers

Rules of Play ~ German Laws of Checkers

~ Game Board ~

• The German game of Checkers/Draughts is based on the American form of Checkers and therefore uses the 8 x 8 checkerboard.
  
  
• The playing board is a square checkerboard consisting of 64 squares of equal size and is arranged in a checker pattern of alternating light and dark squares.
  
  
• The game is played by two opposing players who each have twelve checkers of either light or dark colour on the board.
  
  
• The checkers are placed on the dark squares only.

~ Object of the Game ~

~ Starting Position ~

• The game rules are very similar to International Checkers.
  
  
• The board is placed squarely before both opponents and is ready for play when the bottom left hand corner square is dark and the double corner is on the player’s right.
  
  
• The twelve checkers are situated on the first twelve dark squares closest to each opponent.
  
  
• The checkers player with the dark checker pieces makes the first move and then players alternate afterwards until a final result is achieved.
  
  
• Random selection by lot determines which player gets the dark checkers, or as laid down by tournament rules under competitive conditions.

~ Game Moves & Captures ~

• Basically, there are four standard types of moves: regular move of the uncrowned checker piece or ‘man’, regular move of the crowned piece or ‘King’, capturing move of the player’s checker man and capturing move of the King (the promoted piece has also been called ‘dame’ or queen).
  
  
• All captures, whether active or passive moves, are compulsory.
  
  
• ‘Jumping’ an opponent’s checker completes a capturing move and the checker is then removed from the checkerboard.
  
  
• If the jump offers a further capturing opportunity for the checker, the jump is continued until the piece can go no further.
  
  
• The one exception to the above rule is that if the checker arrives at the king row through a capturing move, this move ends at the king row and the checker is crowned immediately; the jump is not continued and the opponent now gets his/her turn.
  
  
• All captured checkers are removed from the checkerboard in the same order as they were jumped.
  
  
• A checker may only be jumped once and the players cannot jump their own pieces.
  
  
• If a move presents more than two ways to jump, the player may choose whichever way he/she desires and this may not necessarily be the move that captures the most checkers.
  
  
• All jumps, once begun, must be carried through to completion.
  
  
• Each player can move his/her checkers diagonally forward to the left or right from its original position to an adjacent, empty square.

~ Crowned to become King ~

• When the player’s checker reaches the opponent’s king row, it becomes a king and the checker is ‘crowned’ by the opponent, who must place a new checker of the same colour on top of it before making his/her own move.
  
  
• The checker used to crown the king may come from captured pieces or reserve spare checkers.

~ King Moves ~

• A player’s king piece may move diagonally forward or backward to the left or right from its original position to an adjacent empty square.
  
  
• A king may capture in a forward, backward or combination move.
  
  
• The king piece may jump into or out of the king row of the opposition without halting its movement.
  
  
• A checker piece can only be crowned once during a checkers game.

~ Win or Draw ~

• A properly played legal game of checkers has three outcomes: white win, black win or a draw.
  
  
• The checkers player who makes the last move wins the game and this can be achieved by either capturing all of the opponent’s pieces or by blocking any further legal move by the opponent during his/her turn.
  
  
• Both players may also agree to a win, loose or draw if the outcome is inevitable; doing so prevents a drawn out game and the wastage of valuable time and energy, especially in tournament conditions.
  
  
• Good sportsmanship, as well as fair play, applies at all times.

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