| Overview |
 International checkers is a two-player board game played on a square checkerboard. This game belongs to the draughts (checkers) family of games.
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| Board |
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International Checkers is played on a 10x10 checkerboard. The initial position of dark and light checkers is shown in the following picture:
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| Objective |
| The goal of International Checkers is to capture all of the opponent's checkers or to block them, leaving the opponent without any legal moves. |
| Play |
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Players move alternately, starting with the player with the light checkers. Ordinary checkers can move diagonally forward to an adjacent cell. When an ordinary checker ends its move on the last row of the board it is promoted to a king. If an ordinary checker reaches the last row by capturing an enemy checker (i.e. by jumping over it) and it can continue to capture backward an additional enemy checker (or checkers) as an ordinary checker then the move should be continued and this checker is not promoted to a king. Kings can move any number of cells diagonally (exactly like a bishop in Chess). Kings cannot jump over their own checkers or over two or more enemy checkers standing one after another. Neither ordinary checkers nor kings can land on an occupied cell. |
| Captures |
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An ordinary checker can capture an enemy checker standing on an adjacent dark cell if the next cell in the same direction is empty. The capture can be made both in the forward and backward directions by jumping over the enemy checker onto the next empty cell. The captured enemy checker is removed from the board. If the same player's checker can continue capturing other enemy checkers then it must do so. A king can capture an enemy checker standing on the same diagonal line if there are no other checkers between them and the next cell or cells in the same direction are empty. The capture is made by jumping over this enemy checker and placing the king on any of the following empty cells. If the same player's king can continue capturing additional enemy checkers then it must do so. A multiple capture must be completed before the captured checkers are removed. In the course of a multiple capture the capturing checker may visit a vacant square more than once (going roundabout), but it may not jump the same checker more than once. Capturing is mandatory. This means that if a player can capture an enemy checker (or checkers) on his turn then he must do so. Majority capture takes precedence: if a player has a choice of jump sequences then he must choose the sequence that captures the most enemy checkers (a king counting as one checker). |
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