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Checkers Game
A popular and timeless skill game
Ever wonder how the checkers game came into existence?
This lesson at Learn Skill Games program will
teach you.
We play this game with friends and family and we seldom realise that
the game has a long and colorful history behind it.
Checkers Game: History
Checkers is believed to have originated in the desert country of Egypt
where it was known as Alquerque around 650 BC, though there
are caves
from 1400 BC that depict Alquerque like images.
The game was played by philosophers and thinkers such as
Plato and Homer as it provided immense mental challenge.
This game closely resembles modern checkers as it features similar flat
pieces with dark and light colours, a lattice based board and the aim
of capturing the opponent’s pieces.
The modern version is believed to have conceived in the 12th century in
the south of France where it combined the basics of Alquerque on a
chessboard. It made its way to England in the 16th century with the
name of Draughts and by the late 1900, had spread to most of Europe
with formalised rules, moves and procedures being extensively recorded
and covered.
Checkers is the common name in North America and likewise, many
countries have their own localised names and rules, all variants from
the original Alquerque.
Checkers Game: Rules
Essentially, it is a skill game played on a board with two
players who rotate moves. Classically, each player begins with a set of
12 discs (red or black) on a board divided into a grid of 64 squares
–-32 black and 32 red.
In the opening position, each player places their 12 pieces on the dark
squares nearest to their edge of the board. Then the game commences
with the black moving first after which each player alternates.
Checkers Game: Jumping and Capturing
A piece can only be moved diagonally on to the dark squares
unless it has been crowned as the king.
However, as each player must capture the opponent’s pieces, they can do
so by jumping over them (again only diagonally) to the next empty
diagonal space if available.
The jumped pieces are then captured and removed from the board.
If you can make a jump, you have no option but to do it but if there
are several jumps available, you can choose.
One cannot jump one’s pieces or the same piece twice in the same move.
The only condition is that the pieces must have an empty space next to
them. In addition, one is allowed to make multiple jumps if the pieces
of the opponent are arranged in that manner.
Also, one can change the direction of the jump. For example, if one
piece is captured by jumping on the next diagonal, then in the same
move another piece may be captured by jumping in the left direction or
any other for that matter.
Kings
When a piece reaches the opponent’s end of the board, it is crowned as
king and it can move both forward and backward (only diagonally
though). A king can mix and match their jumps in all four directions.
Finally, when one of the opponents becomes incapable of moving either
due to their pieces being captured or blocked, he or she loses.
Checkers Game: Strategies
Checkers is a simple skill game but the strategies involved can be more
complex than it seems at first. These few strategies can help you to
become competitive and better while improving your
understanding of the game.
Analyze: Always analyse each move that
you make. Though simple, the game rapidly becomes more and more
intricate.
Pre-think: Pre think strategies that
you can implement to block your opponent’s pieces.
Side pieces cannot be jumped so try and keep them on the sides.
Centralise the kings as they make uncrowned pieces defenceless. Also,
block you opponent’s pieces from becoming kings for the same reason.
Two for one strategy: Perhaps the most
popular checkers strategy; this is the forced capture trick where you
play your piece in such a way that it loses itself along with two
pieces of the opponent.
Books: Tips, moves and plays found
in books and resources will also help you to increase your
knowledge and understanding of the game, thus helping you develop your
own strategies.
Checkers Game: Terms
Blockade: a position in which one
player's pieces cannot move
Capture: the elimination of one or more
opponent's pieces by jumping over them
Checkerboard: the 64-square board for
this skill game
Jump: a move in which the second square
is originally vacant and the intervening square is full by a rival
piece, which is captured.
King: A piece becomes a king upon
reaching the last rank and is capable of moving backward also.
Man: A single checker (plural men)
Piece: A checker
Trap: a line of play that appears
favourable on the surface but often backfires
Checkers game is followed by Chess, Part 1
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