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Correct moves in checkers for white and black. Rules of the game of checkers (Russian, international, Brazilian, Italian, pool, checkers, giveaway). The sport of checkers is developing all over the world

Have you found a partner to play checkers? Is the checkerboard positioned correctly (black corner field on the left)? Have you placed white and black checkers? Do you remember how checkers move?

If so, then you can start. To a person who has just learned play, it doesn’t matter which one checkers start off. And, indeed, you can start with any checker and try all the first seven possible moves. But then every checkers player begins to understand that not all first moves are equal.

Which checker should I start with?

No matter which white checker you move, your move is not wrong. It just depends on the first move Start games of checkers, which, as in chess, is called an opening. The choice of the first moves of an experienced checkers player depends on many factors: on what opponent he is playing with in the actual game; on what kind of beginnings he himself likes to play; from your tournament position, or even from your mood.

But out of seven possible answers for the player playing black, even the first two moves can be losing. For example, * your partner played l.gf4 with white, and you answered 1. …dc5. Next 2. fg3 hg5? And Black immediately lost his checker: 3. ed4 с:сЗ 4. d:h6. If in chess you can lose even the strongest piece, but win by checkmating the king, then in checkers it is enough to be left without a checker to lose the entire game.

The theory and practice of checkers suggest that it is best to develop your left flank, and therefore the most popular first move for White is l.cd4. Why? And look carefully at the column of three checkers on the left flank al, b2, сЗ. How to quickly introduce it into battle, especially the checker from the al field? So they start doing this from the very first move cd4. But this does not mean at all that now you are obliged to start the game only with this move. If you play the same opening over and over again, you will, of course, learn it quite well and you will probably have some good tournament results. But, on the other hand, you impoverish yourself by choosing only one opening out of many. Your opponents will adapt to this start and may prepare an unpleasant surprise for you.

Since after several moves there is great amount the most different options positions, then there are many beginnings.

The most important rule when playing an opening, and in the future, is that there is not a single ill-considered move. Each move must be subordinate to a single goal - the rapid and harmonious development of your checkers according to the chosen game plan.

Strive to capture the center of the checkerboard from the very first moves, since capturing the center creates a positional advantage. After all, the central checkers are more active than the side checkers. For example, white's two central checkers can hold back the opponent's four side checkers when black moves (diagram 12). Black sacrifices checker 1. ...hg5, and both sides move checkers to kings, a draw.

There is also an interesting position in Diagram 13. Here, too, Black has a move and a double advantage, but there are two side checkers. The result is the same - a draw. To achieve it, Black is again forced to sacrifice a checker: 1. ...ba5 2.bc5 ab6 3.c:a7 ab4 4.ab8 bc3 5.cb2 (but not cd2!) and, as a result, it is also a draw.

There should be close interaction between individual checkers, between the center and the flanks.

At first, we do not recommend moving the checkers of the first and eighth ranks unnecessarily. This especially applies to the checker of white el and black d8, which players call “ gold checkers" Why? But because these cells, firstly, are king fields, and secondly, by freeing them, you create more opportunities for your opponent to break into kings compared to the exit of checkers from other king fields.

Do not play with only one flank, but, capturing the center, harmoniously develop the checkers of both flanks.

Here we must stop and make one important note. It is not advisable to start learning the game of checkers with a full set of checkers without mastering the basics of the game.

Therefore, we advise you to familiarize yourself with the section for beginners “Making the best moves”, in which, step by step, you will learn how to choose the optimal continuation from a variety of possible ones. Here we will go from simpler to more complex, explaining selected examples and offering several tasks for independently choosing the best move.

Knowing the simplest traps will help you win quickly already at the very beginning of the game.

In this material we will look at how to correctly start a game of checkers, and what you can hope for in the very beginning checkers game . This information is recommended primarily for novice players, since qualified checkers players, of course, know about this.

It turns out that you can win at checkers after the second move! Of course, you won’t be able to win kings in such a short period of the game and you won’t be able to eat many of your opponent’s checkers. But winning one or two checkers from your opponent is quite possible.

It should be noted that, having an advantage of even one checker already in the very beginning of the game, You can safely count on victory, since any positional compensation for this checker after several initial moves the opponent is unlikely to be able to get it. In this situation, all you have to do is play this game carefully and without unnecessary risk until victory.

Let's move on to examples.

Example 1. The game starts like this: 1.cd4 hg5 2.bc3 and already on the second move Black can make a mistake: 2…de5?

White's move

3.gf4! e:g3 4.h:h6 and White has an extra checker.

Example 2. 1.ef4 dc5 2.fe3 cd4?

White's move

Black expects to win two white checkers at once after 3.c:e5? f:h4 x

However, the player playing White has the opportunity to win Black's checker: 3.e:c5 b:d4 4.c:e5 f:d4 5.fg5! h:f4 6.g:c3 and bring the game to victory.

When playing black, you can also count on similar mistakes from your opponent.

Example 3. 1.cd4 hg5 2.dc5?

black move

This is a mistake, by the way, quite common among novice players and allows Black to win a checker: 2…d:b4 3.a:c5 b:d4 4.e:c5 gf4! 5.g:e5 f:b6.

Example 4. 1.gh4 fe5 2.hg3?

black move

And here Black wins a checker already on the second move: 2…ed4! 3.e:c5 b:d4 4.c:e5 d:h2, practically ensuring that he wins this game in the future.

From the examples considered, novice players should draw a very important conclusion for themselves: in order to win, you need to learn see and play in the game(at least similar to those discussed above).

These skills will also help you avoid your own mistakes and not allow your opponent to win your checkers and carry them out. You will learn how to learn this from various materials site, .

When creating traps, as well as throughout the entire game of checkers, you must remain vigilant and timely unravel your opponent’s counter plans.

Here is another interesting example of a trap in the opening: one of the players creates a trap for the other, but he himself falls into the trap prepared by the opponent.

Example 5. 1.cd4 ba5 2.bc3 cb6 3.gh4 dc5 4.hg3 bc7?

White's move

With his last move, Black prepared a trap: now White can’t play 5.ab2? because of 5…ab4! 6.c:a5 fg5 7.h:f6 x

But it turns out that White is also not averse to winning the game at the very beginning of the game, and their trap has already worked: 5.cb4! a:e5 6.ed4 c:e3 7.d:b8 x

Advice: striving win quickly, don’t let your opponent do the same!

The examples considered are quite simple. There are many such traps at the beginning of a game of Russian checkers, but there are also more complex ones. One example of a complex trap that even a beginner can fall into can be found (in the comments to White's fifth move).

Trap at the beginning of the game - for White

Trap at the beginning of the game - for black

Traps at the beginning of the game are another way to win at checkers, which is often found in practical game, especially among beginners. The topic of traps at the very beginning of a game of checkers will definitely be continued, stay tuned.

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Checkers is an intellectual game that uses a game board and checkers. This is very interesting and entertaining game, it develops logic. Many people know how to play checkers and think that they can do it well. Maybe it is so. But to play well, you need to do more than just know the rules.

Yes, to win you need to know the rules. But to win constantly, you need considerable skills, cunning and a lot of practice.

We offer you some tips on how to win at checkers.

  • First, no matter how funny it may sound, you need to stop stubbornly wanting to win. It would seem that this is a stupid statement, since the ultimate goal of the game is victory. But, nevertheless, a strong emphasis on winning can cost a loss, since when concentrating on victory, absent-mindedness involuntarily appears, and this is unacceptable in this game.
  • A little absurd, but everyone knows that in order to be able to win, you need to be able to lose. Before you win, you need to lose a hundred games. There is no need to write down how many times you have lost, you will feel it yourself when you cross this line. But you need to lose for a reason, but with valuable experience for the future and knowledge of how to win at checkers

The most experienced players know how to win quickly at checkers. But beginners and the more inexperienced should not rush. After all, haste is the main enemy of victory in checkers.

  • During the game, you should have a goal: to reach kings as quickly as possible and not allow your opponent to do this. After all, the queen is a very powerful figure in checkers. Her strength lies in the fact that she can move in any direction (without breaking the line, of course) and “eat” opponents at different distances. When the queen appears, the “heat” of the game begins.
  • You need to try to ensure that there are more of your own checkers than your opponent’s checkers. Of course, this will give you more chances and opportunities to win.
  • Try to occupy the central squares of the field with your checkers. Because a checker that stands “near the side” has less power than a checker that stands in the center.
  • Think ahead about your actions. The deeper your thoughts, the more likely you are to beat your opponent.
  • Checkers players have probably heard that there can be 7 moves in the starting position. But that's not true. White's first two moves 1.c3-b4 and 1.c3-d4 do not lose. Few people know this. So remember these combinations to know how to win at checkers.

Combinations in checkers- a formidable weapon. Every now and then the player has a question: “Can’t I carry out a combination here?”, or “Won’t my opponent be able to carry it out if I do it this way?” But in tournament games the time available for thinking is limited, and looking for a combination at every move is an unaffordable luxury. Therefore, it is important to know when such a search is sufficiently justified, that is, to know the signs that indicate an increased likelihood of search success. These features are called combinational motifs. One of them - sieve(lattice arrangement of checkers). If there is a sieve in your camp, it is easier for the enemy to carry out a checkers combination: after all, for a combination, he needs to move your checkers so that the final blow becomes possible, and with a sieve, they are already positioned in such a way that almost everything is ready for this Strike.

N. Grushevsky
Black has a clear sieve. This should encourage the player playing White to carefully search for a combination. “Is it possible to force the black checker a5 to move to s3?” - he thinks. And it turns out that this can be done!
1.e3-d4! c5:cl 2.h4-g5! h6:f4 14 3.e1-d2! c1:еЗ 4. a3-b4X.
Of course, in the game you have to temporarily create a sieve in your camp, since without this the development of checkers is sometimes impossible. It happens that the lattice position of some group of checkers is even advantageous. But we must remember: in terms of combinations, the sieve is dangerous! Therefore, before you allow it to happen, check to see if your opponent will then have a combination. And if the sieve is in the enemy’s camp, look to see if you have a combination.

Here are two more positions where the sieve is a motive that encourages you to look for a combination:

Other most important combinational motifs are free pace and a checker near the open queen field. We'll talk about them next time, but now let's do the exercises. In the proposed examples, either there is already a sieve, or it appears if you make the move indicated in them. This motive creates the opportunity for the opponent to make a winning combination. Try to find it without moving the checkers on the board.

Free pace

First about free pace(in checkers, tempo is a unit of “playing time” measured by moves, that is, one move). Let yours be white. It's Black's move here. What will happen if they attack the f4 checker? Let's see. 1...f6-e5. So, your saber is under attack. Therefore, you know in advance the enemy’s next move - he will have to beat her. You seem to have a free tempo - free in the sense that no matter what move you make, the enemy will not be able to interfere with your plan with his response move: he will be obliged to take the f4 checker. This, of course, makes preparing the combination much easier. You start looking for it and... find it! 2. c1-b2! e5:g3 3.e3-f4 g3:e5 4.c3-b4 a5:c3 5.b2:h8X.
Since having a free tempo helps prepare a combination, it (like a sieve) is therefore a combination motive: the presence of such a tempo stimulates the search for a combination. (The modern term “free tempo” has displaced the equivalent but outdated word “rest”).

Let's assume yours are black. Free pace the enemy does not. But here he plays - 1. f2-e3! d4:f2 (if 1 ... h4:f2, then 2.e3:g5 f2-g1 3. e1-f2 g1:c1 4.g5-h6X) 2.d2-e3! f2:d4. Why did the enemy sacrifice two checkers? Just for the sake of getting free tempo! And he got it: you still have his saber g3 under attack. Now you will be obliged to beat it, and the enemy, knowing this, also attacks - 3.f4-g5, and after you hits - 4. g5:g1 X. To paraphrase a well-known proverb, we can say - “He who attacks last attacks well”!

Have you seen how it is possible to acquire free pace"by violent means" in the process already begun combinations. And now about one more combination motif - checkerboard near the open queen field. Why does the presence of such a checker on the enemy increase the probability creation you combinations? The answer is simple: your finishing blow leads to the appearance of a king, for which it makes sense to sacrifice even more of your own checkers than the enemy’s will be beaten. This is the “admissibility” of exceeding the number sacrificial checkers over the number of opponents beaten and expands the range of possible combinations.

The combinational motif is obvious - checker c7, standing near the open queen squares b8 and d8. Searching for a combination leads to success: 1.d4-е5! f6:b2 2.c1:a3 a5:e1 3.g3-h4 e1:g3 4.h4:f6 g7:e5 5.h2:b8 X.
Since a checker near an open queen square makes the position vulnerable, the question may arise: wouldn’t it be better to delay the movement of the queen row checkers until the transition to the end? After all, then the enemy will no longer have so many combinational possibilities... However, by doing this, we, having reduced one danger, will increase another: when our forces meet the enemy’s checkers in the center, they will be in fewer numbers and will be less combat-ready.

Let's move on to examples. Having placed a position on the board, identify a combination motive (or combination thereof) in it and find a way to carry out the combination.

All of the above applies, of course, to combinations in. However, knowing the rules of other checkers games (be it Brazilian), you can easily apply the knowledge acquired on this page to find checkers combinations in these ones as well.

The game of checkers has attracted people since the times of Ancient Egypt because it allows you to fully reveal your strategic and analytical abilities. The ability to quickly react to each opponent’s move and predict his next moves becomes especially valuable.

How to learn to play checkers well? This question worries both novice players and experienced fans of this game. After all, it is not enough just to know the rules, you need to be able to operate with them, and always be prepared for the unexpected.

When we first learn to play checkers, it seems as if strict and strict adherence to the rules plays a decisive role. Of course, it is forbidden to deviate from the rules, but no less priority belongs to the knowledge of basic tactical techniques. Having mastered them to perfection, we can say that your level of playing checkers will be quite high.

How to learn to play checkers from scratch: key rules of the game

You need to start learning by studying the basic rules and terms. A simple checker is allowed to move one square diagonally. Once she reaches the last line of the enemy's field, she turns into a queen, capable of moving along any free cell to any distance.

The right of the first move is given to white checkers. As soon as an enemy piece appears in front of your checker, you must remove it from the board. The queen has another advantage: after she has taken the enemy's checker, she can stand at the distance she needs from him.

Learning to play checkers: strategy and secrets

  1. use of "giveaways". The strategy is based on setting pre-planned traps for the opponent. You need to sacrifice your own checkers in order to make winning combinations in the future;
  2. entering between two enemy checkers. Allows you to ensure the safety of your checker and take one of the opponent’s pieces;
  3. rapid promotion to queens. The faster you can get to the enemy’s last line, the faster you will have a powerful weapon in your hands - the king;
  4. blocking the enemy. Checkers are placed so as to eliminate the possibility of enemy movement without losses to him;
  5. desire for the center. When thinking about how to teach a child to play checkers, you should not lose sight of the fact that those checkers that are located in the center of the board have a greater chance of winning;
  6. calculation of possible enemy moves. You must try to foresee the consequences of the movement of each opponent’s checker. The opponent can specially set traps, which it is advisable to identify as quickly as possible.

Online games are great for learning to play checkers and improving your existing level. How to learn to play checkers online? It’s very simple, because the virtual versions are developed based on strict adherence to the rules original game. A significant advantage of online versions is that you can choose the desired level of play. This allows you to improve your skills while feeling the sweet taste of victory.

Checkers is a popular board game, which, despite its apparent initial simplicity, is fraught with many complex combinations and requires increased prudence from the player.

How to play checkers correctly? To do this, you first need a minimum of knowledge, because the main rule of the game is to “eat” the opponent’s piece. This operation is very simple - remove the opponent’s checker from playing field only possible if there is a free cell behind it. When novice players play, to simplify the development of the rules, they usually agree to “cut” only forward, i.e. It is forbidden to “eat” a checker located behind your figure.

How to play checkers: rules for beginners

To play checkers, players should know the following key points:

  • In one move, a checker passes only one square. An exception is the situation when a checker “cuts” another chip;
  • in one move you can “cut down” as many checkers as are placed on the path of the figure;
  • when “taking” the opponent’s checkers, they remain on the board until the end of the move;
  • if it is possible to “eat” an enemy piece, then it must be “cut”, otherwise it will have to be removed from the playing field yourself;
  • The winner is the player who “takes” all the opponent’s checkers, or deprives the opponent of the opportunity to make another move;
  • a draw is recognized in cases where neither side can win the game;
  • If there are three queens on the field against one of the opponent, then the side with the advantage is given no more than 15 moves to win.

“King” is the main component of the game’s success

The main question for many beginners is how to play checkers and always win. To do this, you need to “break through” to the kings as quickly as possible - to reach the last row of the chessboard. After this, the checker turns over and gets the right to move along the entire length of the black squares. Accordingly, she “cuts” all enemy pieces that are not located nearby on adjacent cells.

How to play checkers correctly to win: some useful tips

To increase your chances of winning, experts recommend:

  • enter the opponent’s “lyubki” or attack his weak checker;
  • occupy the central fields of the board with your own checkers;
  • provide the central checkers with full protection from the opponent’s attack;
  • try to predict the opponent’s possible moves;
  • independently study the literature on the game of checkers or use the online checkers assistant.

How to play Chinese checkers

The game is played on a board in the shape of a six-pointed star, each ray of which is painted a different color. Players must be able to move the pieces to the corner opposite them. For two players, 15 chips are used, each of them must take turns moving their chip along any line (6 directions). It is allowed to jump over other people's chips. Those chips that were jumped over remain on the board.

If you would like to learn more about the rules of the game Chinese checkers, then check it out.

Checkers is a game that originated in Ancient Egypt and has existed for more than five thousand years. In Ancient Egypt, the principle of moving checkers was borrowed from the rules for moving a chess bishop or queen.

In the 12th century, the French improved the game, and since then checkers has acquired the form that we know today.
Nowadays, the game of checkers is known and loved in all countries, by people of all cultures and ages. It is not surprising, because the rules of the game are clear and very simple even for a small child.

Rules

It is possible to learn to play checkers well. To do this, you need to study the rules of checkers in theory and then in practice. Consider a game of classic Russian checkers:

1. The main attributes of this game are a checkers field of 64 alternating white and black (dark) squares, as well as 12 game checkers for each of the players. One player plays with light checkers, and his opponent plays with dark ones.
The game is played only on the dark squares of the field.
2.The game is designed for two players. Place the checkerboard board so that the lower left cell is dark or black, relative to the players.
Checkers are placed by players on the three lower rows of the playing field and only on dark cells. The checkers must be the same standard shape, flat and round. It is not allowed for the size of the checker itself to be larger than the square of the field. There are two types of checkers: simple checkers, and checkers that went to Damki.
In a simple checker, a move is a move one square diagonally along empty cells.
A queen is a checker that has reached the last row of the field. The queen has the ability to move to any number of squares.
3. If one of the opponents plays with white checkers, he goes first.
4. If a player touches his checker with the possibility of moving, then he must move it.
5. If there is an opponent’s checker on the square in front, and there is a free square behind it, the player’s checker takes the opponent’s checker. A captured opponent's checker is removed from the board and does not participate in the game.
6. If there is a possibility of capturing the opponent’s checker, a simple move to an empty square is not allowed - it is imperative to hit the opponent’s checker. If there are several such combat options, you can choose any one.
7. If a simple checker that has become a Queen has the opportunity to take the opponent’s checker, this Queen continues its move.
8. The following provisions are considered to be a win of the game:
8.1. Acknowledgment by one of the players of his loss and his statement that he is giving up.
8.2. One of the players cannot continue the game and make a move.
8.3. The player on the field has run out of all checkers.
8.4. In case of violation of these rules and discipline.
9. The game ended in a draw in the following cases:
9.1. If winning is impossible for any of the players.
9.2. If one player proposed a draw and the second player accepted it.
9.3. If for fifteen moves none of the players took the opponent’s chips, and there were only Queens’ moves.
9.4. If the same combination appears on the field three moves in a row.
10. The game is declared invalid and starts over and, in situations:
10.1. If the checkerboard is placed incorrectly.
10.2. When the checkers are placed incorrectly.
10.3. If a player does not follow the rules.
10.4. If a player touched one checker and made another move.
10.5. If a player removes any checker from the board without a reason.
10.6. If the player makes a reverse move.

Basic game tactics

If a novice player plays with an experienced and strong opponent, both will play by the rules, but the more experienced player will win.
Therefore, it is very important to know the following basic tactics:
1. Reduce all your moves to getting to Queens yourself as quickly as possible and not allowing your opponent to do this. The queen is a strong checker, capable of moving long distances, which gives many opportunities!
2. Try to have an advantage in the number of checkers in front of the enemy.
3. Advance your checkers to the center of the board. You need to play the game so that the opponent's checkers are located at the edge of the board. U central checkers more opportunities to bring victory.
4. Calculation of the opponent's possible moves - they can be falsely tempting, so it is important to understand their consequences. It is very important to follow the entire course of your opponent’s game, because if you do not have time to figure out his plan in time, the likelihood of your winning will decrease.
5. Calculate your moves several steps ahead. The more accurate your calculations are, the greater the likelihood of winning over your opponent!

Strategies for winning at checkers

It is important to know and be able to apply, depending on the situation, several winning strategies:

Strategy #1: Giveaways are traps for the opponent at the beginning of the game. The essence of this strategy is to specifically sacrifice your pieces to the opponent in order to implement winning combinations in further moves.

Strategy #2: Entry into “lyubki”: a situation in which one checker ends up between two of the opponent’s checkers with the possibility of taking one of them in the next move.

Strategy #3: Advancement to Damki. The essence of the strategy is to break through as quickly as possible and turn a simple checker into a Queen.

Strategy #4: Blocking an opponent is a situation in which a player could make a move and the cells are occupied by the opponent's checkers. Also called a blocking situation is the threat of losing a checker on the next move, due to the corresponding arrangement of the opponent’s pieces.

  1. Learning new checkers strategies should only be reinforced through practical play.
  2. Play with strong players, or use proven programs on your computer. There is an advantage in playing with a computer - such games can and should be saved and analyzed. This will allow you to learn from your mistakes and prevent them in the future.
  3. Take each game seriously and play carefully, to your full potential. Checkers is an intellectual game and playing mindlessly means wasting time.
  4. Treat losses as useful lessons. You should not be too upset about defeats, but look for the reasons for mistakes and draw the right conclusions.
  5. Read books and magazines on the game of checkers, take checkers tests that depict specific game situations.
  6. Sign up for a checkers club to have the opportunity to communicate with qualified and experienced mentors, coaches and athletes. The checkers club holds tournaments to improve skills and assign a sports category in checkers.

Master Class

You can just enjoy it, but don’t forget to take advantage of it for yourself.

And remember the main rule - practice above all.

Combination in checkers- is a sacrifice or a series of sacrifices with the help of which a material or positional advantage is achieved.

With the help of a combination you can break into kings, win one or more checkers, seize the game initiative, simplify a difficult position in a game with a more experienced opponent, avoid defeat in a seemingly losing position. Therefore, the combination is the pinnacle of the checkers game. A beginning checkers player needs to become familiar with the most popular combinations, which will immediately noticeably increase the strength of his game.

Combinations can be simple, complex and very complex.

The simplest are those combinations where they offer to hit one checker, and in response they remove two or more of the opponent’s checkers.
Here are two clear examples of a frequently encountered combination technique (Figures 36 and 37).

In the first position, White gives up one checker and removes two:
1.bc5 d:b4
2.a:a7 with a draw.

In the second example, White also allows one checker to be captured, but removes all Black’s checkers:
l. dc3 d:b2
2. c:e7 x.
Taking black doesn't change the result either.
l….b:d2
2.c:e7 x.

All other first moves in the examples considered lead to White's defeat. If in position 37 we play
1.сb2?, then dc5!
(1.,ba3? 2.dc3! - draw)
2.ba3 dc3
3.de3 cd2! 4.e:cl bc3 x.

Now compare the location of combat units in Figure 38 with the position in Figure 37. Almost identical, isn’t it? The method of winning is the same, you just need to “pull” the b6 checker to d4. So: l.dc5! b:d4 2.dc3 and for any answer from Black, White removes all his checkers.

Figure 39 - everything is simple, we suggest “eating” one, taking two black checkers: l.cd4 e:c5 2.b:f8 x.

Figure 40. White is missing a checker. In order not to lose, mentally remove the black checker d4. How to actually remove this checker? Easy: l.fe3! d:f2 2.b:h8 - draw!

Figure 41. You can rush to the kings with the checker h6 with a draw, and you can “try” and lose - l.hg7 ed2 2.gf8? del 3. f:d2 e:сЗ x. But why all these awkward moves if it’s just l.gf6 and the opponent is knocked out.

From the position in Figure 42, Black is about to defeat the remnants of White's army. Is it possible to avoid defeat? The solution suggests itself, only you have to give up not one, but two checkers: l.bc5! d:b4 2.de3! f: d2 3.h:b8, draw.

The task in Figure 43 can now, hopefully, be solved quite easily: l.gf6 e:g7 2.h:a3 x.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that in almost all the last examples White has a so-called column of two checkers. A column is the arrangement of two or more checkers of one of the sides next to each other along a diagonal. The presence of a column often implies the presence of a combination, especially when one of the sides has a lattice arrangement of checkers or it can be made so. To carry out a combination, a column of two checkers must have an emphasis on the side field, otherwise the combination is impossible.

A column of three checkers does not need a stop and, therefore, can be located in the center of the board to carry out a combination. The column has both pros and cons. In the position in Figure 42, we saw that Black had a column of as many as 5 checkers, but since it was White’s turn to move, the last two victims “made a hole” in Black’s orderly line, broke through to the kings and achieved a draw.

In the examples below, White has columns of three checkers without emphasis on the side square, but this does not interfere with the execution of combinations.

Figure 44. I.de5 f:d4 2.c:g3 dc5 (de5) Z.bсЗ x. If we hit 2.с:с7, then Black's checker f4 breaks through into the kings with a draw.


Checkers is perhaps the second most popular board game in the world, second only to its older brothers - backgammon.

The history of their origin goes back several centuries, and the first games similar to checkers existed in Ancient Egypt in 1600 BC.

Over the subsequent years, checkers gained popularity all over the world - archaeological excavations have proven that flat figures made of amber or simpler versions made of stone were used for mental entertainment back in Kievan Rus.

In the 12th century, they appeared on the territory of France, and two centuries later - in England, where they were actively used not only for recreation, but also for developing tactics for conducting knightly battles.

Interesting fact! Peter the Great, a famous reformer and innovator of his time, who from a young age showed interest in developing sciences, paid special attention to checkers. There was even a special room in the palace reserved for games, in which the emperor liked to spend his free time.

And today it is loved by many board game, which has become one of the most accessible and popular types of sports.

The sport of checkers is developing all over the world:

  • Tournaments of various sizes are held annually, from regional competitions to continental world championships.
  • Clubs of amateur chess players are formed.
  • Schools for beginners are functioning and developing, where real professionals share their experience with young athletes.

If you are fascinated by the magic of the game and you want not only to learn how to walk correctly, but also to hone your logical abilities, or you dream of teaching your child how to spend time away from the computer in an interesting and useful way, we will tell you how to play checkers correctly to win.

So, let's look at the rules of the game of Russian checkers:

  1. The competition involves two players, each of whom has his own set of 12 pieces, white or black.
  2. The game is played on a standard 8 x 8 chessboard, rotated so that there are letters horizontally and numbers vertically.
  3. Checkers are placed only on black cells in such a way as to fill three horizontal rows on their side. This leaves two free lanes between the enemy pieces.
  4. The steps are performed one by one, with the player with the white pieces making the first move.
  5. You are only allowed to walk on the black squares of the board.
  6. If there is an empty one behind the checker black cage, then it must be “killed” - the first player moves his piece to a free square, and the opponent’s piece is removed from the board.
  7. In one move, they hit as many pieces as can be stepped over, with no limit on the number.
  8. There is a zafuk rule, according to which a player who did not notice the opportunity to “eat” the opponent’s checker must return back to his square and correctly repeat the move. This provision replaced the outdated fuka rule, in which a piece that made an incorrect step was considered “killed” and was removed from the table, but the move was not repeated.
  9. If, as a result of the game, a simple checker reaches the last horizontal line on the opponent’s side, it is turned upside down and receives the name “king” with increased opportunities for capturing the opponent’s pieces. The king can move along the entire length of the diagonal row, “eating” all the enemy pieces on its way.
  10. Both a simple checker and a queen can “hit” pieces in any direction - back and forth. But, unlike the way the king moves, a simple checker cannot make a backward move unless it is a strike move.
  11. One of the tactics of the game is to “surrender” one or more of your own pieces to gain the opportunity to make a move or for other advantages in the game.
  12. The game ends with the victory of one of the players if he “beat” all the opponent’s checkers, or a draw if the pieces on the board are placed in such a way that further moves are impossible on both sides.
  13. If there is not a single simple piece left on the board, but only queens, 15 moves are allowed, after which either the winner is determined or a draw is declared.

Note! Other types of games may have some differences in rules. So, for example, Canadian checkers is played on a board measuring 12x12, and in English version“Black” makes the first move.

Time control

In order to indicate the time frame, at international competitions it is customary to use several classifications of game duration:

  • Classic checkers – 1 hour per game.
  • Rapid ( quick game) – 15 minutes per game.
  • Blitz ( lightning game) – 3 minutes per game.

If necessary, the judge can add a certain amount of time for each move made until the end of the game.

Note! Like chess tournament, players also keep a notation, that is, they make a record of their maneuvers, in which they abbreviate the characteristics of a move or a tactical technique.

Glossary of terms

As in any sports competition, checkers has its own terminology, with the help of which experienced players designate their action, the period of the game or the position of the pieces on the board.

For beginners, it would be a good idea to understand the special expressions used by checkers players in order to learn all the subtleties and secrets of this intelligent look sports

Term Explanation
Attack The offensive of one of the parties
Blockade A situation in which it is impossible to advance a checker in any direction
Majority (majority rule) A rule accepted in some varieties of the game, in which the player is obliged from any possible options of his move, choose exactly the one in which his checker hits the largest number of enemy pieces
Fork A position in which one king remains on the board against two simple checkers of the opponent
Gambit Sacrificing your piece at the very beginning of the game to gain initiative in the game
King The strongest piece on the board, has the ability to hit in any direction and take any number of enemy checkers
Victim Deliberate loss of one's figure in order to obtain further benefits
Trap A position in which opponents try to draw each other into to establish a winning position.
Draw The result of a game in which neither the winner nor the loser is determined
Giveaways (reverse checkers) A type of game whose end result is not the capture of all the opponent’s pieces, but the surrender of one’s own
Position Arrangement of pieces on the board
chop Remove the enemy's checker that is under attack and place your own in its place
Quiet running A simple checker move, without capturing an opponent's piece
Impact stroke A move in which one or more enemy pieces are “eaten”
Wing One side of the checkers board
Zugzwang A position in which any move only leads to a worsening of one’s own position
Endgame Final phase of the game

In our article, we tried to briefly and clearly talk about the most common rules used for playing checkers. But only those who take lessons from an experienced checkers player, who will gradually reveal all levels of skill, will be able to play truly well.

Checkers is a great way early development children. You can play them from a very young age until old age. A set of pieces and a board can be easily purchased at any sporting goods store or educational games department.

The cost of such a product is available to everyone, and the benefits brought by this intellectual game, and the pleasure of victory, will be able to keep our mental abilities in good shape for a long time and add positivity to our everyday life.

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