Brazilian Draughts Rules
Brazilian draughts brings the capture rules of international 10x10 draughts to the familiar 8x8 board. Men capture backward, kings fly, and when you have a choice of captures you must take the route that removes the most pieces. That last rule makes the game sharp and calculable, and it is a good stepping stone between checkers and the 10x10 game.
Play it on this site
Open the menu (☰), choose Rules and pick Brazilian. You can play it against the computer at three difficulty levels or against a friend on the same screen.
Rules
Board and setup
The board and starting position are the same as in checkers: 32 dark squares and 12 pieces per side on the three nearest rows. On this site you play Black at the bottom and move first.
Moving
Men move one square diagonally forward. Kings fly: a king may move any number of empty squares along a diagonal, forward or backward.
Capturing
- Capturing is compulsory.
- Men capture forward and backward, by jumping an adjacent enemy piece onto the empty square behind it.
- A flying king may capture an enemy piece from a distance along a diagonal, as long as the squares in between are empty, and land on any empty square beyond it.
- The most-pieces rule: if you have several captures, you must play the one that captures the largest number of pieces. A king counts the same as a man. If two or more routes capture the same number, you may choose among them.
- A multi-capture must be completed, and the capturing piece may change direction.
- Captured pieces stay on the board until the move ends and cannot be jumped twice.
Crowning
A man that reaches the far row becomes a king. If a man reaches the far row in the middle of a capture and can keep capturing, it is not crowned: it carries on as an ordinary man, and is crowned only if its move ends on the far row. This is the same rule as in international 10x10 draughts and differs from Russian draughts, where the man is crowned at once and keeps capturing as a king.
Winning and draws
You win when your opponent has no pieces left or cannot move. On this site 40 moves each with no capture and no crowning is a draw, the same counter used for all 8x8 variants.
Differences from American checkers
| Rule | American | Brazilian |
|---|---|---|
| Board | 8x8 | 8x8 |
| Pieces per side | 12 | 12 |
| Capturing is compulsory | Yes | Yes |
| A started capture must be completed | Yes | Yes |
| Men capture backward | No | Yes |
| Kings fly (move any distance) | No | Yes |
| Men may capture kings | Yes | Yes |
| Must capture the most pieces | No | Yes |
| Further capture priority | Free choice | Free choice |
| Man reaches the far row during a capture | Crowned, move ends | Crowned only if the capture ends there |
| Captured pieces are removed | At once | At the end of the move |
Strategy tips
- Count the longest capture for both sides. Because the most-pieces rule removes choice, you can often predict your opponent's reply exactly, and so can they.
- Use sacrifices to steer. Offer one or two pieces so that the forced longest capture ends on a square where you can win back more.
- Do not count on a short capture escape. If a longer capture exists anywhere on the board, you must take it, even if it walks into a trap.
- Guard against backward captures. Keep pieces in connected groups with no empty squares behind them.
- Value kings highly. A flying king on an open board can attack from far away, so blocking the crowning squares matters a lot.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to capture the most pieces in Brazilian draughts?
Yes. When several captures are possible you must choose a route that takes the largest number of pieces. Among routes of equal length you may choose freely.
Does capturing a king count for more?
No. A king and a man count the same when you compare capture routes.
How is Brazilian draughts different from Russian draughts?
Both have backward-capturing men and flying kings. Brazilian draughts adds the most-pieces rule; Russian draughts lets you choose any capture.
How is it different from international draughts?
The capture rules are close, but Brazilian draughts uses the 8x8 board with 12 pieces per side instead of 10x10 with 20.
Other rule sets
- American checkers8x8, forward-only men, one-square kings, free choice of captures.
- Russian draughts8x8, men capture backward, flying kings, a man crowned mid-capture keeps jumping.
- Spanish draughts8x8, forward-only men, flying kings, capture the most pieces, then the most kings.
- Italian draughts8x8, one-square kings, men cannot capture kings, strict capture priorities.
- Czech draughts8x8, forward-only men, flying kings, a king must capture if it can.
- International draughts10x10, 20 pieces each, men capture backward, flying kings, capture the most pieces.
- Checkers without forced captureHouse rule for any 8x8 variant: you may skip a capture and make a normal move.
- All checkers rules and variantsCheckers Rules and Variants