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History

The origins of this family of games date back to the 12th century in Europe, when a similar game was invented probably in France or Spain.
The game spread around the world, giving birth to many variations which then settled in about three dozen fixed rule sets, roughly divided by countries.
The most commonly played variations are American Checkers (also known as British Draughts) and International Checkers.

Characteristics

Most Checkers games are two-player perfect information abstracts; the main aspects that identify a checkers game are:

  • Two kind of pieces with different movement: "men" and "kings".
  • Men don't move backwards.
  • Promotion of a man to a king happens by reaching the last row of the board, opposite to their starting position.
  • Opponent pieces can be captured by jumping, if the space beyond them is empty. A game without capturing is not considered a checkers game here, even if it is called "checkers", e.g. Chinese Checkers and its predecessors (Halma) or succesors (Salta & Halma Draughts), Surrounding Checkers, Board Draughts, etc.
  • Captures are compulsory, which leads to forced combinations involving sacrifices known as "shots".
  • Players win by capturing all the opponent's pieces or if the opponent has no legal move.

Note: These characteristics don't apply to all games.

The following lists describe 114 Checker variants and 5 meta-games as of June 7, 2010.

Traditional Games

A table summarizing the most widely known checkers games

Game
 Region
 Board Size
 # Starting Pieces
 Flying kings
 Man captures backward
 Notes
 Links
American Checker / English Draughts
 Tournaments in Australia, Barbados, Canada, China, Channel Islands, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Malta, New Zealand, South Africa, UK, USA.
8 by 8
 12 per player
 No
 No
 Competition play is often with openings drawn from a three-move deck.
 * English Draughts Association
* American Checker Federation
International Checkers (Jeu de Dames International)
 Tournaments in Antigua, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, China, Congo Brazzaville, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Curacao, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, French Guyana, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, India, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Moldova, Mongolia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Panama (?), Poland, Portugal, Reunion, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Suriname, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkmenistan, UK, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan
 10 by 10
 20 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 The most widely played Checkers game. Many tournaments. Also known as Continental or Polish Draughts.
 * World Draughts Federation
Frisian Checkers (Frysk Damjen)
 Tournaments in West Frisia (Netherlands) and England
 10 by 10
 20 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 The only game of the family where the pieces (both men and king) move diagonally but capture in ALL eight directions
 * Dambond Fries Spel
Italian Checkers (Dama Italiana)
 Tournaments in Italy
 8 by 8
 12 per player
No
 No
 Detailed "jump rules" to decide which move is compulsory when multiple jumps are available. Men don't jump kings.
 * Federazione Italiana Dama
Damone
 Italy
 8 by 8
 8 per player
No
 No
 Unusual game played since medieval times in Italy. Men don't jump kings.
 * Damone
Malaysian/Singaporean Checkers (Dum)
 Singapore and Malaysia
 12 by 12
 30 per player
 Yes
 No
 Regional variant, similar to Spanish Checkers but played on a much bigger board.
Spanish Checkers (Dama Española)
 Tournaments in Spain
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 No
 Double-corner on the left. Detailed "jump rules" to decide which move is compulsory when multiple jumps are available.
 * Spanish Checkers
Scandinavian Checkers (Makvaer (Denmark), Marquere (Sweden))
 Denmark, Sweden
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 No
 First described in 1802; similar to Frisian Checkers (incorrectly described by Murray and Parton)
German Checkers (Damespiel)
 Austria, Germany
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 No
 No maximized captures. Many books were written about this game.
 *Checkers variants
Central-South German Checkers (Süddeutsches Damespiel)
 Southern Germany (Bavaria, Württemberg)
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 No
 Similar to German Checkers, but the king must stop immediately after the last piece captured.
Gothic Checkers (Altdeutsches Damespiel)
 Austria, Germany
 8 by 8
 16 per player
 No
 No
 Could be influenced by Turkish Checkers or related to Frisian Checkers.
 * Gothic Checkers
Czech Checkers (Česca Dáma)
 Tournaments in the Czech Republic
 8 by 8
 12 per player (a variant has just 8, but this is the official rule)
 Yes
 No
* Čescé Federace Dámy
Shashki (Russian Checkers)
 Tournaments in Belarus, Estonia, Israel, Russia, Ukraine
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Popular game.
* Russian Draughts Federation
North-Russian Checkers (СЕВЕРНЫЕ ШАШКИ)
 Russia
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to Russian Checkers, but kings are reduced to men after capture.
 *North Russian Checkers (Russian)
Shatra (шатра)
 Tournaments in the Altai Republic (Russia)
 part of 7 by 14 rectangle (62 squares)
 17 per player
 Yes
 Yes (men are called "pawns" as in Chess)
 Strange cross-over resembling Russian Checkers, Western Chess, Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) and Shogi (Japanese Chess).
 *Shatra
*National Sports of the Altai Republic
Bashni (башни)
 Tournaments in Russia.
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Stacking game. Captured pieces stay on the board and can be liberated. Otherwise similar to Russian Checkers.
 * Bashni Club in Sankt Petersburg
Turkish Checkers (Türk daması)
 Tournaments in Turkey, Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Estonia
 8 by 8
 16 per player
 Yes
 No
 Moves are orthogonal instead of diagonal.
 * Dama Club
Armenian Checkers (Tama)
 Armenia, Turkey
 8 by 8
 16 per player
 Yes
 No
 Similar to Turkish Checkers (and often confused with it), but kings also move diagonally (but may only capture orthogonally).
 * Armenian Checkers (Russian)
Ossetian Checkers (Tama)
 Ossetia (Russia)
 7 by 7 or 9 by 9
 up to 43 per player
 No kings
 Yes
 No draws. It is often stated as a fact that the game is played without mandatory captures based on a Czech source which does not mention that captures are mandatory (nor the opposite!). However, as the game is obviously derived from Turkish Checkers and Alquerque, both having forced captures, Ossetian Checkers is most likely played with mandatory captures too.
 * Ossetian Checkers - but see note on the left
Pool Checkers
 Tournaments in the USA, the Bahamas, Guyana, South Africa, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to International Checkers played on a smaller board, but the "jump rules" are different.
 * American Pool Checker Association
Canadian Checkers / Sri Lanka Checkers (Jeu de Dames Canadien / Dam)
 Tournaments in Québec (Canada), Sri Lanka, France
 12 by 12
 30 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Tournaments. Basically a 12x12 version of International Checkers. An almost identical game is also played in Sri Lanka (only difference: board orientation).
 *Association québécoise des joueurs de dames
Brazilian Checkers (Jogo de Damas / Brasileiro 64 casas)
 Tournaments in Brazil and Portugal
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Basically a 8x8 version of International Checkers.
 * Confederação Brasileira de Jogo de Damas
Thai Checkers (หมาก ฮอส)
 Thailand
 8 by 8
 8 per player
 Yes
 No
 King must stop on the immediate next square after capturing a piece. No maximised capture. Removal of captured pieces is immediate. king could immediately reverses direction in a capture.
 * Thai Checkers
Permainan-Tabal
 Java (Indonesia)
 A square of 5 by 5 (centre) + two triangles
14 per player
 Yes
 No
 From Java. Related to Alquerque. Implemented at Zillions of Games.
 * Permainan-Tabal
Dam Lombok
 Lombok (Indonesia)
 10 by 10
20 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 A variant of International Checkers. The player who got the first king wins unless he loses - so there are no draws! Sometimes played tournamentwise in the Netherlands ("Lombok Dammen").
 *Rules (in Dutch)
Srand (Dhamet, Zamma)
 Tournaments in Mauretania
 9 by 9
 40 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 National Game of Mauretania
 * Rules
Kharbaga (Kharbeg, Khreibga)
 Tunisia
 5 by 5
 25 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Variation of Zamma.
 * Rules

Modern Games

A table summarizing some variants invented in modern times
Game
 Board Size
 # Starting Pieces
 Flying kings
 Man captures backward
 Most prominent differences
 Inventor
 Notes
 Links
Oblong Draughts
 6 by 23
 27 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to Frisian Checkers, but oblong board
 Unknown inventor, c. 1775 in England
 Described by Hans Credner in his book "Das Damespiel nach älterer und neuerer Spielweise" (1885)
Doppelte Dame
 16 by 8
 24 per player
 No
 No
 Similar to English Draughts, but extra-wide board
 Ferdinand Zimmermann (Germany) in 1821
 First mentioned in the book "Vollständiger Codex der Damenbrettspielkunst" (1821)
Chesica
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 No (?)
 No (?)
 Cross-over between American Checker / English Draughts and Chess
 Frederick S. Copley (USA) in 1864
 Exact rules unknown.
 *Chesica Reconstructed
Schachdame
 8 by 8
 8 per player
 Yes (called "Läufer")
 No (called "Bauern")
Heinrich Richter (Germany) in 1883
 First cross-over beween Checkers and Chess.
*Schachdame
Neue Dame
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 No
 Stacking game. Captured pieces stay on the board and can be liberated.
 Heinrich Adam Schmidt (Germany) in 1904
*Rules
Laska
 7 by 7
 11 per player
 No
 No
 Stacking game. Captured pieces stay on the board and can be liberated.
 World Chess Champion Emanuel Lasker (Germany) in 1911
*English Lasca Club
* Das Säulenspiel Laska (German)
International Checkers 'nieuwe speelwijze'
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to Standard International Checkers except for the smaller board and that a King may take an opponent's king orthogonally and can continue to capture opponent's kings that way after turning off from a black square
 Herman Hoogland (Netherlands) in 1923.
Was promoted by Hoogland's bilingual (English, Dutch) magazine Checkerwereld until his death in 1956 (first tournament in La Haye in 1930); the game spread after World War II to 20 countries, but vanished after his death; called the "Esperanto of Checkers"
Contract Checkers
 8 by 8
 14 per player (2 off-board)
 No
 No
 Similar to American Checker / English Draughts, but two men start off-board and are later dropped on an empty square of the first row.
 Unknown (USA) in 1934.
Invented in Chicago.
 *Chess variants
Chess-Draughts
 8 by 8
 16 per player
 Yes
 No
 Cross-over between Checkers and Chess.
 Mannis Charosh (USA) in 1946
Unplayable as a game according to commentators.
 *Chess-Draughts Applet
Cheskers
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 No
 Cross-over between Checkers and Chess.
 Solomon Wolf Golomb (USA) in 1948
Popular game.
 *Cheskers
Pasta
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 No
 No
Alvin Paster (USA) in 1956.
Stacking Game. Unusual promotion. First published in Computing News (1956). The game can also be played with 20 pieces per player on a board of 12 by 8 squares.
 *Pasta (Dutch)
Dvoinye Shashki (ДВОЙНЫЕ ШАШКИ / Многоэтажных шашек)
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to Russian Checkers, but played with "double-checkers", that is, checkers are only removed from the board after beaten twice.
 S. Makarenko (Russia) in 1961.
 Challenging.
 *Checkers variants (Russian)
Triuni / Shashki Dureysa(ТРИБУНЫ / шашки Дурейса)
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to Russian Checkers, but played with "single checkers" (third line), "double-checkers" (second line) and "triple checkers" (first line). Double-Checkers are only removed from the board after beaten twice, triple-checkers must be jumped three times.
 V. Terski (Russia), probably 1960s.
 Challenging.
 *Checkers variants (Russian)
Stapeldammen (Dubbeldammen)
 10 by 10
 20 per player (10 stacks)
 No kings
 Yes
Tim ter Kuile (Netherlands) in the late 1960s.
Stacking Game. Unusual promotion. There are several variants known as "Stapeldammen" in the Netherlands.
 *Homepage Stapeldammen (Dutch)
Damate (Damante)
 10 by 10
 20 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Played with Chess-like pieces.
 Vernon Rylands Parton (England) in 1972 (predecessor in 1961) as a "damification" of Chess.
 Incorrect rules were given by D. B. Pritchards in his "Encyclopedia of Chess", Peter Aronson (Zillions of Games) and Joao Neto (World of Abstract Games).
 *100 Squares for Chess+Damante
DaMath (Dama de Numero)
 8x8
 12 per player
 Yes
 No
 Involves mathematical calculations with whole numbers, integers, fractions or binaries]
 Jesus L. Huenda (Phulippines) in 1975.
 Very popular game on the Philippines. Numerous tournaments.
 *Damath Manual
Desertion
 8 by 10
 12 per player
 No kings
 Yes
 No draws
 Trevor Truran (England) in 1976.
First described in Games & Puzzles 52, pp.17-18. Pieces, which reach the back row, are re-inserted in the first line. Pieces, which are jumped switch their color as in Reversi/Othello.
 *Desertion (Czech)
HexDame
 Hexagonal grid (n=5)
 16 per player
 Yes
 Yes
Christian Freeling (Netherlands) in 1979.
 Most popular hexagonal Checkers.
 *HexDame - Official Homepage
Byelorussian Checkers (БЕЛОРУССКИЕ ШАШКИ)
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 Yes
N. N. Grushevsky & Pjotr A. Shkludov (Belarus) in 1985
 Tournaments in Minsk in the mid-1980s. Cross-over between Russian Checkers and Chess. The name on chessvariants.com is a mistranslation, but the rules are correct.
 *Checkers variants (Russian)
*Rules (English)
Byelorussian Chess (БЕЛОРУССКИЕ ШАХМАТЫ)
 8 by 8
 24 per player
 Yes
 Yes
Pjotr A. Shkludov (Belarus) in 1985 (?)
 Cross-over between Russian Checkers and Chess.
 *Checkers variants (Russian)
Shabel (ШАБЕЛ)
 8 by 8
 24 per player
 Yes
 Yes
Pjotr A. Shkludov (Belarus) in 1985 (?)
 Cross-over between Russian Checkers and Chess.
 *Checkers variants (Russian)
Warcaby heksagonalne
Hexagonal grid (n=5)
 24 per player
 Yes
 Yes
Jacek Sadowski (Poland) in 1985.
* Warcaby heksagonalne (sześciokątne) (Polish)
Dornröschendame
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 No
 Yes, but only "Ladies"
 No draws
 Ralf Gering (Germany) in 1986.

Bushka
 10 by 10
 15 per player
 Yes
 Yes
Christian Freeling (Netherlands) in 1988.
 Cross-over between Checkers and Fanorona
 *Bushka - Official Homepage
African Queen
 7 by 7
 14 per player
 No
 No
Alex Randolph (USA) in 1991.
*Rules (Italian)
Cube Checkers
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 No
 No
 Played with cubes.
 Robert Collier Burroughs (USA) in 1994.
 Perfect information game.
 *Patent (1997)
Croda
 8 by 8
 24 per player
 Yes
 Yes
Ljuban Dedic (Croatia) in 1995.
*Croda
Checkers to the Max
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 No
 No
 All pieces start off the board in the player's hand.
 Stan Druben (USA), 1997 or before.
 Written about in GAMES magazine and the American Checker Federation Bulletin.
 *Checkers variants
Checkers 2000
 6 by 6 "circles" (+ 4 additional ones)
 12 per player
 No
 No
 American Checker / English Draughts variant with numbered pieces on a special board.
 Unknown (USA) in 1999
 The highest numbered piece (12) feels like a king in chess.
*Online Play
Crowded Checkers
 10 by 10
 15 per player
 No
 No
 American Checker / English Draughts played on a larger board.
 Bill Bahrenfuss (USA) in 1999.
*Zillions implementation
Chaughts
 8 by 8
 16 per player
 Yes (promoted pawns)
 Yes (some pieces)
 Crossover between Checkers and Chess. Special Ring area.
 Mark Hedden (USA) in 2000.
*Chaughts at chessvariants.com
Jumping Chess
 10 by 10
 16 per player
 Yes (promoted pawns)
 Yes (some pieces)
 Crossover between Checkers and Chess. Special Ring area.
 Peter Aronson (USA) in 2000.
 Controverse discussion on chessvariants.com Some claim that the game is flawed because it is too defensive.
 *Jumping Chess at chessvariants.com
Fairy Tale Draughts
 8 by 8
 16 per player
 Yes
 No
 Crossover between Turkish Checkers and Rock-Paper-Scissors.
 Chris Huntoon (USA) in 2000.
*Zillions implementation
Dameo
 8 by 8
 18 per player
 Yes
 Yes
Christian Freeling (Netherlands) in 2000.
*Dameo - Official Homepage
Kiki & Bun-Bun
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 No
 No
 Unequal forces. Kikis capture by jumping opponent's pieces (they may jump over their own pieces, but don't capture them), while Bun-Buns capture by replacement.
 Jonathan A. Leistiko (USA) in 2000.
 Flawed. Bun-Buns almost always win. Inspired by characters from the web comic, Sluggy Freelance.
 *Kiki & Bun-Bun - Official Homepage
Polarity
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 No
 The move of the king was inspired by Spanish Checkers. "Positive" and "negative" pieces.
 Chris Huntoon (USA) in 2000.
 Flawed - it is doubtful that the so-called "handicap variant" (added in 2003) really fixes the game.
 *Zillions implementation
*"A sure win for the first player")
Celestial Checkers
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 No kings
 No
 Cross-over between Checkers and Dou Shou Qi. No promotion.
 Chris Huntoon (USA) in 2001.
*Zillions implementation
Extreme Checkers
 8 by 8
 24 per player
 No
 No
 Cross-over between American Checker / English Draughts and Hasami Shogi. Custodian Capture in addition to jump.
 Peter Aronson (USA) in 2001.
*Zillions implementation
Gorgon
 8 by 8
 16 per player
 No kings
 No
 Captures pieces are "petrified". No draws. The game seems to be inspired by Gorgona, a Chess variant invented by V. R. Parton.
 Chris Huntoon (USA) in 2001.
 Some recommend to play the game with compulsory capturing.
*Gorgon
Elephant Checkers
 9 by 10
 24 per player
 No (but move two spaces)
No
 Similar to Turkish Checkers, but played on a Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) board. Men (called "soldiers") may move two squares or capture pieces two squares ahead or to the side, or capture a piece an adjacent piece and land two squares past it, once they have crossed the river, and then promote to elephants, when they reach the far side.
 Peter Aronson (USA) in 2002.
* Zillions implementation
Ring Board Checkers
 10 by 10
 12 per player
 No
No
 Similar to American Checker / English Draughts, but also inspired by V.R. Parton's Checkers variants and Frisian Checkers. Kings may also capture orthogonally. Special ring area.
 Peter Aronson (USA) in 2002.
* Zillions implementation
Chip
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 No
No
 Crossover-between American Checker / English Draughts and Reversi. Captured pieces change color.
K. Franklin (USA) in 2002.
 Flawed. Strong second player advantage. (Note: Stalemate is a loss as in Checkers).
 *Checkers games
Puppet King Checkers
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 No
 Move of the king was inspired by Spanish Checkers. When a man promotes to a king, it switches sides.
 Chris Huntoon (USA) in 2003.
 Flawed. The second-move advantage is enormous.
 *Zillions implementation
Killer Draughts / Killerdammen / Demotiedammen
 10 by 10
 20 per player
 Yes
Yes
 Variant of International Checkers. Difference: If a king must make a capture, and the last piece captured is also a king, then the capture must end on the square immediately after the last piece captured.
 Christian Freeling (Netherlands) in 2003.
 Tournament in Amsterdam in 2004 & 2005; only about 5% draws.
*Killer Draughts
Damiano
 7 by 7
 14 per player
 No
No
 Played on an Alquerque board.
 Mats Winther (Sweden) in 2005.
 Crossover between Checkers and Alquerque
*Damiano
HopperDame (Hoppers)
 10 by 10
 20 per player
 No
No
 Own pieces can be jumped.
 Mats Winther (Sweden) in 2005.
 Crossover between Checkers and Halma
*HopperDame
Big Shot Checkers
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 No
No
 Similar to American Checker / English Draughts. The object of the game is either capture all of an opponent's checker pieces or get their "Big Shot" piece (it rests on top of one of their checker pieces) across the board.
Unknown (USA) in 2006.
 Also called "Racist Checkers".
 *Homepage and online play.
Bouncers (Bounce Checkers)
 10 by 10 (variant: 8 by 8)
 20 per player (variant: 16 per player)
 No
No
 New form of movement: "multiple bounce-movement"; capture by approach
 Mats Winther (Sweden) in 2006.
 Crossover between Checkers and Fanorona
*Bouncers
Fantom Checkers
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 No
No
 Similar to American Checker / English Draughts.
Unknown (England) in 2007.
 Incomplete information.
 *Rules
Neo-Checkers
 8 by 10
16 per player
 No
No
 American Checker / English Draughts played on a larger board,
 Mats Winther (Sweden) in 2008.
*Rules
Harzdame
 8 by 8
 21 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 A variant of International Checkers with orthogonal movement and a unique promotion area.
 Benedikt Rosenau (Germany) in 2009.
 Due to the different geometry, draws are much less likely than in standard Checkers.
 *Rules at igGameCenter.
Cage
 10 by 10
 50 per player
 No
 Yes
 Finite game of annihilation. Game must end, and when it does, at most one color will remain - guaranteed.
 Mark Steere (USA) in 2010.
 Cage is omnidirectional. Jumping off the board is permitted. I.e. both the capturing and captured edge checker are removed.
 *Cage rule sheet.
Eximo
 8 by 8
 16 per player
 No Kings
 No
 No draws.
 Matteo Perlini (Italy) in 2013.
 Similar to Desertion and Gorgon.
 *Eximo on Zillions.
Dames Billard
 10 by 10
 15 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to International Checkers, but kings can continue to move in an angle of 90° (and must do so, if they can capture), when they reach the edge of the board
 J. Boyer (France), unknown date (described in 1956)
 3 kings win against one
80-Kletochniye Shashki (80-КЛЕТОЧНЫЕ ШАШКИ)
 10 by 8
 15 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to Russian Checkers, but rectangular board.
 Unknown
 Had once official tournaments
 *80-Kletochniye Shashki Shashki (Russian)
Pskovskiye Shashki (ПСКОВСКИЕ ШАШКИ)
 Hexagonal board (n=4 or 5)
 13 (small board) or 24 (large board) per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to Russian Checkers, but hexagonal board. Promotion only when reaching the opposite corner square.
 Unknown, but probably oldest hexagonal Checkers variant
 More combinations than in the standard game
 *Pskovskiye Shashki (Russian)
Double-move Shashki (ДВУХХОДОВЫЕ ШАШКИ)
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to Russian Checkers, but each player moves twice on his turn.
 Unknown
 A Russian site recommends that the opening move (White) should only consist of one move to balance the first-move advantage.
 *Double-move Shashki (Russian)
Shashki Vigmana (ШАШКИ ВИГМАНА)
 8 by 8
 24 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to Double-move Shashki, but pieces on dark and light squares.
 Vladimir Vigman (Latvia), unknown date
 Actually two games are played simultaneously.
 *Checkers variants (Russian)
Stavropol Checkers (СТАВРОПОЛЬСКИЕ ШАШКИ)
 8 by 8
12 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to Russian Checkers, but each player may also move the pieces of his opponent. Forced moves for either colour take precedence.
 Unknown
 Very unusual game, named after the city formerly called Stavropol and nowadays called Togliatti.
 *Stavropolskiye Checkers (Russian)
Touch-it-all Draughts
 10 by 10
15 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to International Checkers with elements of Stavropolskiye Checkers and Marseillaise Checkers. At his turn a player plays two moves: the first one with his own pieces, the second one with his opponent's pieces.
Vernon Ryland Parton, unknown date (described by Joseph Boyer in 1956)
 Original name unknown; in French: "Les Dames Touche A Tout" or "Les Dames A Deux Coups Opposés". The game has according to Boyer "pleasant" combinations.
Novgorodskiye Shashki (НОВГОРОДСКИЕ ШАШКИ)
 8 by 8 (variant: 6 by 6)
 13 per player (variant: 6)
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to Russian Checkers, but played by 3 persons.
 Unknown
 Difficult coalition-forming.
 *Novgorodskiye Checkers (Russian)
Nevskiye Shashki (НЕВСКИЕ ШАШКИ)
 8 by 8 (variant: 6 by 6)
 13 per player (variant: 6)
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to International Checkers, but played by 4 persons or two teams of two.
 Unknown
 Recommended to be played by two teams to avoid unfair coalitions.
 *Nevskiye Checkers (1) (Russian)
*Nevskiye Shashki (2) (Russian)
Samoyed Checkers (ШАШКИ - САМОЕДЫ)
 Russia
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Unknown
 Similar to Russian Checkers, but players must also capture their own pieces. The name refers to the "cannibalistic" (= samoyed) game play, not to the people also called Samoyeds.
 *Samoyed Checkers (Russian)
"Středověká bitva" (?)
 10 by 10
 15 per player
 Yes
 No
 Played with Pawns and Chevaliers.
 Similar to many games invented by Vernon Rylands Parton (England) who might be its inventor.
*Středověká bitva (Czech)
Tiers Checkers (Ultimate Checkers)
 8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 No
 Complex promotion rules.
 Unknown.
 Said to be "quite popular amongst many collegiate students in the northeast U.S."
 *Tiers Checkers
Activator Checkers
 8 by 8
 24 per player
 No
 No
 A piece can only move or capture if it initially is orthogonally adjacent to another friendly piece.
 Matthew Burke (USA), unknown date.
*Checkers variants
Les Dames Parallèles (Les Dames A Sens Unique)
 10 by 10
 20 per player (White on the left; Black on the right - see below)
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to International Checkers, but all men move in the same direction and promote in the same row. Both players sit on the same side.
 Joseph Boyer (France), unknown date (described in 1956).

Jednosměrná dáma (One Way Checkers)
8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 No
 Variant of Boyer's Les Dames Parallèles, but played with the rules of Czech Checkers. All men move in the same direction and promote in the same row. Both players sit on the same side.
 Unknown.
*One Way Checkers at Brainking
Parašutistická dáma (Parachute Checkers)
8 by 8
 12 per player
 Yes
 No
 Similar to Czech Checkers, but played with parachutists.
 Unknown.
*Parachute Checkers at Brainking
Men with elongated captures
10 by 10
 20
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to International Checkers, but men continue to capture like a "flying king" after they have captured the first piece like an ordinary man
 Vernon Rylands Parton (England), unknown date (described by Joseph Boyer in 1956).
 called "Les Pions A Prise Allongée" by Boyer - original name not known)
Rotating Draughts
10 by 10
 20
 No Promotion
 Yes
 Men move around the center of the board: Black clockwise and White counterclockwise. The angle of movement must be greater than 0 degrees. Captures in all directions as in International Checkers. There is no promotion
 Vernon Rylands Parton (England), unknown date (described by Joseph Boyer in 1956).
 called "Les Dames Tournantes" by Boyer - original name not known); according to Boyer a very interesting game
Les Dames Anti-Bord
10 by 10
 20
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to International Checkers, but men may not move to an edge square unless they capture or promote; in a variant ("prise linéaire) men may jump over several enemy pieces, if they form a contigous line and the square behind them is empty (this game is recommended to be played similar to Canadian Checkers on a larger board and with more piecies); no restrictions for kings
 Joseph Boyer (France), unknown date (described in 1956).
 difficult and crowded, but attractive game according to Boyer
Les Dames Marseillaises (Dames A Deux Coups)
 10 by 10
 20
 Yes
 Yes
 Two moves per turn, either with the same piece or a different one. It is compulsory to capture, if a player can capture in his first move. If this is a multiple capture, it counts two moves.
(?), unknown date (described by Joseph Boyer in 1956).
 Inspired by Marseillaise Chess (invented in 1925)
Ambiguous Draughts
 10 by 10
 20 per player (two types of pieces; a player has (as viewed by himself) 10 "normal" men to his left; 10 losable men to his right; alternative set-up: the same type of either player is facing each other)
 Yes
 Yes
 Variant of International Checkers. At his turn a player plays two moves: first a normal piece, then a losable piece. The object of the game is to capture all the opponent's normal pieces AND to lose all the losable pieces. If only one goal can be achieved, the game is a draw.
 Vernon Rylands Parton (England), unknown date (described by Joseph Boyer in 1956).
Original name not known; the game was called by Boyer "Les Dames Ambigués" or "Gagne Et Qui Perd Gagne". According to Boyer "attractive play with strange endgames".
La Ligne Mediane
10 by 10
 20
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to International Checkers, but played with a line separating the left from the right side of the board; men must always move towards the centre line and must (if possible) cross it except for captures; no restrictions for kings
 Joseph Boyer (France), unknown date (described in 1956).

Les Dames Droite-Gauche
10 by 10
 20
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to International Checkers, but played with a line separating the left from the right side of the board; men must may never cross the centre line (not even by capturing); no restrictions for kings
 Joseph Boyer (France), unknown date (described in 1956).

Les Dames Aux Quatre Points Infinis
10 by 10
 20
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to International Checkers, but played with four points at infinity. These points are located in the North East, North West, South West and South East extension of all diagonals. They can only be occupied by kings (one king at a time). A king on an infinite point can enter the finite board on ever diagonal from his direction and capture. A piece on the edge of the finite board can be captured by a king moving him to the infinite point behind. A king on the long diagonal can capture an opponent's king in the North East or South West corner, if one of these corners is empty and then move its king to the empty corner or an empty square of the finite board.
Joseph Boyer (France), unknown date (described in 1956).
 You might be interested to experiment with other board sizes (such as 9x9 and no double corners) and slightly altered rules (such as kings on opposite infinite points can capture each other, if the squares of the long diagonal of the finite board are all empty)

Les Pions A Marche Arrière
10 by 10
 20
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to International Checkers, but men may move backwards
 Victor Habib (France), unknown date (described by Joseph Boyer in 1956).
 leads to interesting combinations
Ktar Dammen
10 by 12 (or 10 by 11)
 25 (or 20)
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to International Checkers, but with a slightly longer board
 Tjalling Goedemoed (Netherlands), unknown date (first mentioned in 2004 on the internet).
 tournaments in the Netherlands
 *Rules
Duodemotiedammen
 10 by 10
 20 per player
 Yes
Yes
 Variant of International Checkers. Difference: If a king captures two or more pieces, then the capture must end on the square immediately after the last piece captured.
 Christian Freeling (Netherlands) (?) - unknown date, but after 2003.
 Tournaments in the Netherlands.
*Duodemotie (in Dutch)
Schijven tellen
 10 by 10
 20 per player
 Yes
Yes
 Variant of International Checkers. The first player who has captured an agreed number of pieces wins the game.
 (?).
 Tournaments in the Netherlands.
*Schijven tellen (in Dutch)
Dragon
 10 by 10
 20 per player (10 men on the two front ranks and 10 dragons on the two back ranks)
 Yes
 No
 Played with "Dragons", which move and capture like "flying kings", however, forward only. Dragons and men promote to kings, which move and capture as in the international game. They are not permitted to move to the edge of the board after the last capture, if another square is possible. Capturing is compulsory, but players needn't to play the move, which would capture the most.
 Vernon Rylands Parton (England), unknown date (described by Joseph Boyer in 1956).


Scoundrels (Les Vauriens)
 10 by 10
 20 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 Played with "Scoundrels".
 Vernon Rylands Parton (England), unknown date (described by Joseph Boyer in 1956).
The book "Enduring Spirit of Dasapada" described several variants: e.g. Babylon Scoundrels (like Frisian Checkers), Polish Scoundrels (like International Draughts).
 *Enduring Spirit of Dasapada
Poniards in the Back
 10 by 10
 20 per player
 Yes
 Yes
 A variant of International Checkers. Each player has five "Poniards", which are initially on the opponent's first row. They are not kings. The Poniards cannot move until they have captured backwards, after which they become normal men.
 Vernon Rylands Parton (England), unknown date (described by Joseph Boyer in 1955).
called "Les Poignards Dans Le Dos" by Boyer - original name not known).
Dames Contre Pions
10 by 10
 20, but Black then exchanges 2 or 3 men for one king ("la partie de la Dame"), 10 men for 5 kings ("la partie des 5 Dames") or all his men for 9 kings ("la partie des 9 Dames")
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to International Checkers, but played with unequal forces.
Joseph Boyler (France) (?), unknown date (described in 1956).

Les Loups et les Chiens
 10 by 10
 Black has 2 kings ("loups"), White has 20 men ("chiens")
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to International Checkers, but played with unequal forces and goals. The player who has 20 men isn't allowed to capture and can't promote his pieces. The kings of the other player may not move onto a square, where they would be captured. The men win, if the kings have no legal move left, and the kings win, if one of them reaches the opponent's side of the board.
 Joseph Boyer (?), unknown date (described in 1956).
 The two kings (black) are placed on 02 and 03. The men (white) have a sure win, but the game is tricky.
10 vs. 20
 10 by 10
 Black has 10, White has 20
 Yes
 Yes
 Similar to International Checkers, but played with unequal forces. The player who has just 10 men, makes two moves at his turn to compensate his disadvantage.
 Joseph Boyer (France) (?), unknown date (described in 1956).
*Checkers games
Kens
 8 by 8
 16 per player
 Yes
 No
 Similar to Turkish Checkers, but own pieces can also be jumped (without being captured).
 Unknown.
*Checkers games
Give and Take
 8 by 8
 16 per player
 Yes
 No
 Similar to Turkish Checkers. Differences: no maximized captures,last men is automatically promoted wherever it is, forced and facultative capturing.
 Christopher Elis (England), unknown date.
 Joao Neto misunderstood the rules. His description makes no sense.
 *Give and Take at ETEROSCACCO (Italian)

Metagames

A table summarizing some metagames applied to Checker variants.

Metagame
 Games Applied
 Metarule
 Notes
Blind Checkers
 Can be applied to all games.
Checkers played by the blind or blind-folded, sometimes even simultaneously.
 *Blind Checkers World Record (International Checkers)
Checkers With Game Clocks
 Can be applied to all games.
Checkers with restricted playing time.
 Game clocks are used in many checker variants that are played tournamentwise. "Blitz" Checkers with only a few minutes for each player does also exist.
Diagonal Checkers
 American Checker / English Draughts, Czech Checkers, International Checkers, Russian Checkers
The pieces are set up in opposite double-corners. The long diagonal line is left empty.
Give-away Checkers
 American Checker / English Draughts, International Checkers, Russian Checkers, Bashni
The player who has first lost his pieces wins the game.
 Serious tournament play in Shashki Poddavki (Give-away Russian Checkers).
Strip Checkers / Naughty Checkers
 American Checker / English Draughts, but other variants might work just as well
 Strip Checkers: Each checker has a small picture with a piece of clothing, and accessory, etc. When a piece is taken from the board, the corresponding article is removed from the player; Naughty Checkers: The dark squares have instructions on them, such as "Show your undies", "Kiss my neck", "Run your lips up and down my arm", "Kiss my inner thigh", "Lick the word 'love' on my tummy", "Divulge a secret fantasy". Whenever a piece is captured, the action exposed by the removed piece must be performed by the opponent. Whenever a king is crowned, the opponent must carry out the instruction printed on the square where the king stands.
 A game for consulting adults, which promotes sexual liberation. Inspired by Strip Poker and Truth or Dare. Strip Checkers was first marketed in 1972.
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