Czech Draughts Rules
Czech draughts sits between Russian and Spanish draughts. Kings fly and men capture only forward, but there is no rule to take the most pieces. Instead there is a single priority: whenever one of your kings can capture, you must capture with a king, even if a man could take more.
Play it on this site
Open the menu (☰), choose Rules and pick Czech. You can play against the computer or against a friend on the same screen.
Rules
Board and setup
Czech draughts uses 32 dark squares and 12 pieces per side. The official setup and first move differ from American checkers, but the rules are symmetric; on this site you play Black at the bottom and move first, as in every 8x8 variant here.
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 only.
- A flying king may capture an enemy piece from a distance, if the squares in between are empty, and land on any empty square beyond it.
- King first: if any of your kings can capture, you must capture with a king. This holds even if a man could capture more pieces.
- Apart from that rule, you may choose any capture. There is no requirement to take the most pieces.
- A capture, once chosen, must be completed. 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. Our Czech sources do not say what happens when a man reaches the far row during a capture; this site follows the Spanish rule, so the man is crowned and the move ends there.
A note on sources
Most descriptions we checked, including the main encyclopedia entries, give the king-first rule above. One Czech rules site instead says the most pieces come first, even before kings; it appears to mix in international rules, so this site does not follow it.
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.
Differences from American checkers
| Rule | American | Czech |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
| Kings fly (move any distance) | No | Yes |
| Men may capture kings | Yes | Yes |
| Must capture the most pieces | No | No |
| Further capture priority | Free choice | If a king can capture, a king must capture |
| Man reaches the far row during a capture | Crowned, move ends | Crowned, move ends * |
| Captured pieces are removed | At once | At the end of the move |
* Our rule sources are silent or disagree on this point; the value shown is how this site plays it.
Strategy tips
- Exploit the king-first rule. Offering a piece to an enemy king forces a king capture, even when your opponent would rather capture with a man. Use it to drag kings out of position.
- Remember the rule binds you too. Before crowning, check what your new king will be forced to capture on the next turns.
- Protect your men from behind. They cannot capture backward, so a flying king behind your lines is dangerous.
- Choose captures by the resulting position. With free choice among king captures or among man captures, the longest capture is not always best.
- Fight for the first king; a flying king against forward-only men is a big advantage.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to take the most pieces in Czech draughts?
No. The only priority is that a king must capture if any king can. Otherwise you may choose any capture, as long as you complete it.
What is the king-first rule?
If one of your kings can capture, you must capture with a king, even if a man could capture more pieces.
Is Czech draughts the same as Russian draughts?
No. In Czech draughts men cannot capture backward and the king-first rule applies. Both have flying kings and free choice of capture length.
Can men capture backward in Czech draughts?
No. Men move and capture forward only.
How is Czech draughts different from Spanish draughts?
Both have forward-only men and flying kings. Spanish draughts requires the most pieces and then the most kings; Czech draughts has no most-pieces rule and instead requires a king to capture whenever one can.
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.
- Brazilian draughts8x8, men capture backward, flying kings, you must capture the most pieces.
- 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.
- 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