Pocket Games
Italian draughts
Italian draughts has two rules that set it apart from every other version in the world: capture is compulsory and maximum, and a plain man cannot take a king. Anyone coming from international draughts loses their first games right there.
The rules of Italian draughts
An 8×8 board, played on the dark squares. Twelve men a side, on the first three rows.
Movement. A man advances one square diagonally, forwards only. It can never go back.
Capture. You capture by jumping diagonally over an enemy piece when the square immediately beyond is free. A man’s capture is also forwards only. If another capture is available after the jump, you continue in the same move.
Capture is compulsory. If you can take, you must take: it is not a choice.
And it must be the maximum. When several captures are possible, a precise order of priority applies:
- take the capture that removes the most pieces;
- if equal, the one made with a king rather than a man;
- if equal, the one taking the most kings;
- if equal, the one taking a king earliest.
A man cannot take a king. This is the most Italian rule of all: a king is untouchable by plain men, and only another king can capture it.
Promotion. A man reaching the last rank becomes a king. If it gets there during a multiple capture, the capture stops there: it does not continue as a king.
The king does not fly. It moves and captures in every direction, but always one square at a time, like a man that can also go backwards. In international draughts the king slides the whole diagonal: not here.
You win when your opponent has no pieces left or cannot move. It is a draw after a long stretch with no captures and no man moves.
How it plays
On Pocket Games you play two players on the same phone — with the board rotating so each of you sees the game from your own side — or against the bot at three levels: the first plays almost at random, the second looks three moves ahead, the third six, which is enough to punish a piece left en prise. Wins, draws and losses are stored on the device.
Strategy
Compulsory capture is a weapon. Since your opponent has to take, you can force them: offer a man where the capture carries them where you want, and set up the multiple recapture. That is the heart of draughts, and it is called a combination — games are almost always won by combination, hardly ever by accumulation.
Count before you offer. Every time you put a man en prise, check the whole chain: how many pieces they lose afterwards, and who comes out ahead. The maximum capture rule makes the chains exactly calculable, with no surprises.
Hold your back rank as long as you can. The men on your last row stop your opponent from making kings. They are the most valuable pieces you own, and every time you move one you open a door.
Advance in formation. Isolated men get lost: two men side by side protect each other, because capturing one leaves the other ready to recapture.
A king is worth a lot, but not as much as you think. Not being able to fly, the Italian king is worth roughly two men, not five. It is overwhelming at exactly one thing: being the only piece that can capture enemy kings.
The centre beats the edges. A man on the edge has half the moves and half the captures: you go there only to escape a combination.
Frequently asked questions
Can I decline a capture?
No. Capture is compulsory, and if several are available you must take the one that removes the most. The game applies the rule for you.
Can my man take my opponent’s king?
Never. Only kings capture kings: this is the main difference from international and English draughts.
Can the king slide along the whole diagonal?
No, one square at a time. The "flying" king belongs to other variants.
What happens if a man is promoted during a multiple capture?
The capture stops. It becomes a king and the turn passes to your opponent, even if further captures would have been available as a king.
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