Draughts · Tavla & Dama

How to Play Russian Draughts

Russian draughts, or shashki, is played on the dark squares of an 8×8 board with 12 men each. Men capture backwards, kings fly, and a man that is crowned during a capture carries on as a king.

White moves first.

Players:
2
Board:
8×8, dark squares
Pieces:
12 each

Goal

  • Capture all of your opponent's pieces or leave them without a move. A player who cannot move loses.

Capturing

  • Capturing is compulsory: jump over an opponent piece onto the empty square behind it.
  • If the same piece can capture again, it must go on. The chosen capture is played to the end.
  • After a capture, a long-moving king must stop on a square from which it can capture again, if there is one.
  • A man that reaches the far row becomes a king.

Draw

  • The same position for the third time, 50 moves with only kings moving and no capture, or one king each.

Russian Draughts

  • 8×8 board, played on the dark squares. 12 men each. White starts.
  • Men move one square diagonally forward and capture forward and backward.
  • Kings fly: they move and capture any distance diagonally.
  • If several captures are possible, choose any of them.
  • A man that reaches the far row during a capture becomes a king and goes on capturing as a king.

Tips

  • Men can capture backwards, so a piece behind your lines is not always safe.
  • Look for captures that end on the far row: the new king can keep going.

Controls

  • Tap a piece and then a lit square, or drag the piece there.
  • In a multiple capture, play one jump at a time.
  • Against the bot or a friend on this phone, Undo takes your last move back.

Play Russian Draughts in Tavla & Dama

Tavla & Dama puts backgammon and draughts in one beautiful wooden box: Tavla, Tapa and Gülbara, and eight kinds of draughts. Play smart bots anytime, even offline, or open a private room and play with a friend.

Explore Tavla & Dama Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play

More rules in Tavla & Dama