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Invented Checkers Variants ~ Lasca

Another unique and little known checkers/draughts variant is an abstract board game involving ‘towers’ or columns of ‘men’ called Lasca (Laska or Laskers).

History

Rules of the Game:

~ Game Board ~

• This unique checkers variant is played by two opponents on a 7 x 7 standard checkered board of alternating light and dark squares.


• Lasca is played on the light squares so that only 25 of the 49 squares are actually used during the game.


• The board is positioned squarely between the two players with a light square at each corner.

• Each opponent uses 11 checkers, draughtsmen or simply pieces of contrasting light and dark colours such as black and red or red and yellow so that the ‘men’ are distinguishable on the game board.


• The checkers should be flat so that they can be stacked into columns and one side should be different from the other; if they are symmetrical, then one side should be marked in some way to distinguish it from the other side such as a daub of paint or a symbol.


• The game pieces are as follows:


• Soldier ~ a single man with a plain face showing upwards.


• Officer ~ a single man with the marked face uppermost.


• Column ~ a stack of two or more soldiers or officers of one colour; the column may also contain ‘captured prisoners’ of the opponent’s underneath the officer or soldier.


• Commander ~ the top man of the column and the only piece to determine who owns and moves the column.

Note:

This board has also changed the squares to circles and the dark squares have become the background so that the new board does not really resemble its chessboard predecessor overly much.

~ Object of the Game ~

• The game objective is much the same as in Checkers/Draughts in that each player is trying to capture all the opponent’s pieces or block the remaining pieces so that he/she can no longer make any other legal moves.

~ Starting Position ~

• At the start of the game, the single men or soldiers are positioned in the three rows on the white squares at each end of the game board with the plain side facing up.

• Once the soldiers are on the move, the may be promoted to officers or are captured and soon a violent battle may rage on the board, with many opportunities and possibilities for subtle tactics and strategies.

~ Game Moves & Captures ~

• When the play has begun, the pieces move forward diagonally right or left one square at a time, just as in Checkers or Draughts.


• Likewise, the game pieces capture by jumping over the opposing man into an unoccupied square beyond the opposition, but what follows is quite different from either Checkers or Draughts (and to some players this aspect makes Lasca a more exciting game, but of course, that is according to individual preference).


• A captured man is not removed from the board, but is picked up by the attacker as a prisoner and placed under the capturing man as he leaps over the opposing piece.



• With each move, the opponents continue to capture other pieces on the board and stack them into larger columns since no men are ever removed from the game board; gradually there are less and less pieces on the board.
• One aspect to note is that there is no possibility of a column consisting of alternating colours such as black white black.
• As in the game of Checkers/Draughts, if a player is in a position to do so, he/she must capture an opposing piece.
• If there is an opportunity to continue capturing, then the jumping sequence must be followed until completed.
• This rule is extremely important in LASCA since it allows a player to force his/her opponent into disadvantageous situations:

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