Rules — West Coast Checkers

🏖️ Common Rules (All Variants)

All games are played on the dark squares only. Pieces move and capture diagonally.

8×8 (American & Russian): Each player starts with 12 pieces on the dark squares of their first 3 rows.
10×10 (International): Each player starts with 20 pieces on the dark squares of their first 4 rows.

Gold (light-colored pieces) always moves first.

Mandatory capture: If you can capture, you must capture. No exceptions.
Multi-jump: If after a capture your piece can capture again, it must continue the sequence.

The classic game most Americans grew up with. Simple rules, pure strategy.

Men move forward only — one square diagonally forward.
Men capture forward only — cannot jump backward.
Simple kings — kings move and capture one square diagonally in any direction (forward or backward). They are NOT flying kings.
No maximum capture rule — if multiple capture sequences exist, you may choose which one to take.
Promotion stops the turn — if a man reaches the kings row (even during a multi-jump), the turn ends immediately. The piece is crowned but cannot continue jumping until the next turn.
Captured pieces removed immediately — unlike Russian and International rules, pieces are taken off the board as you jump them.

A more dynamic game with flying kings and backward captures. Popular across Eastern Europe.

Men move forward only — one square diagonally forward.
Men capture forward AND backward — can jump enemy pieces in any diagonal direction.
Flying kings — kings can move any number of squares diagonally in any direction, like a bishop in chess. They can also capture from a distance.
No maximum capture rule — you choose which capture sequence to take.
Promotion mid-jump — if a man reaches the kings row during a capture sequence, it becomes a king immediately and continues capturing with king powers in the same turn.
Captured pieces removed after sequence — pieces stay on the board during a multi-jump and are removed only when the entire sequence is complete. You cannot jump the same piece twice.

The deepest variant with the largest board. Official FMJD rules used in world championships.

20 pieces per player on a 10×10 board (first 4 rows each).
Men move forward only — one square diagonally forward.
Men capture forward AND backward — can jump in any diagonal direction.
Flying kings — same as Russian: move any number of squares diagonally.
Maximum capture rule — if multiple capture sequences exist, you must take the one that captures the most pieces.
No promotion mid-jump — a man does not become a king mid-sequence. It only promotes if it ends its turn on the last row.
Captured pieces removed after sequence — same as Russian rules.

Rule	American	Russian	International
Board	8×8	8×8	10×10
Pieces	12	12	20
Men Capture	Forward only	Forward & backward	Forward & backward
Kings	Simple (1 square)	Flying (any distance)	Flying (any distance)
Max Capture Rule	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes
Promotion Mid-Jump	❌ Turn ends	✅ Continues as king	❌ Only at turn end
Capture Removal	Immediate	After sequence	After sequence

Control the center. Pieces in the center have more options and are harder to trap.
Protect your back row. Don't rush all your pieces forward — leaving your back row empty invites enemy kings.
Think about forced captures. Since captures are mandatory, you can set up positions where your opponent must capture into a bad position.
Kings are powerful. Getting a king early can be decisive. But don't sacrifice too many pieces to get one.
Watch for multi-jumps. A single capture sequence can wipe out 3, 4, even 5 pieces. Always look for these combos.
American: Since men only jump forward, back-row pieces are safe. Use that to your advantage.
Russian: Backward captures change everything. Watch your back!
International: The max capture rule means you can bait opponents into unfavorable captures.