The board and the pieces
An 8×8 board, played on the dark squares only. Each player starts with 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three rows nearest them. The colours are drawn at random each game.
Who starts
The board is turned so the long diagonal runs from your bottom-right to the top-left (a light square at each player's bottom-left). White (light) moves first.
Moving and capturing
- A piece moves one square diagonally forward, to an empty square.
- It captures by jumping diagonally forward over an enemy piece right next to it, onto the empty square just beyond; the piece jumped is taken. Pieces never capture backwards (only kings do).
- After a jump, if the same piece can jump again, it must go on in the same turn. A piece can't be jumped twice in one turn.
- Capturing is compulsory: when a capture is possible, you can't make another move.
- A piece that ends its move on the far row becomes a king. If it gets there by capturing, its turn ends there.
Flying kings, and taking the most
- A king flies: it moves any distance along an open diagonal.
- A king captures from a distance: along a diagonal, an enemy piece with only empty squares before it and at least one empty square after it is jumped, and the king lands on any of the empty squares beyond, then goes on capturing from there if it can.
- Captured pieces are removed only when the turn is over; until then they stay on the board and can't be jumped again or passed through.
- When several captures are possible, you must take the most pieces; among those, the most kings.
Winning and draws
- A player with no pieces left, or no legal move on their turn, loses.
- You may resign at any time, and lose; you may offer a draw once, and again after your opponent has moved twice.
- The same position with the same player to move for the third time is a draw.
- 40 moves by each player with no capture and no plain piece moved is a draw.