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How to play Checkers

Persian dama

1. an 8×8 board, all 64 squares in play. Each side has 16 men on its second and third rows; the first row starts empty.
2. a man steps one square forward or sideways, never back or diagonally. It captures by jumping an adjacent piece (forward or sideways) onto the empty square behind it; no backward captures.
3. a man reaching the far row becomes a king. A king moves any number of empty squares in the four directions, like a rook, and captures at distance: over one rival piece on the line, landing on any empty square beyond it.
4. capturing is mandatory, and you must take the sequence that captures the most pieces (kings and men count the same). Jumps go on while they can.
5. each captured piece leaves the board at once, so no piece is jumped twice, and a king may not turn back 180° between two jumps of one sequence.
6. a man that reaches the far row in the middle of a capture sequence is still a man; it is crowned only if its move ends there.
7. you win when your rival has no piece or no move. A single king against a single king, or fifty moves each by kings only with no capture, is a draw.

English checkers

1. an 8×8 board with 12 men each, moving only diagonally on the dark squares.
2. a man moves one step forward and captures forward only. Capturing is mandatory and a jump chain must be completed.
3. a man reaching the far row is crowned and moves one step in any diagonal direction; crowning ends the jump chain.
4. you win when your rival has no piece or no move. Forty moves each without a capture is a draw.

These are the exact rules Hamdor plays by; the app shows them too, under each game's How to play tab.

Two kinds of checkers in Hamdor

• Persian dama: each side has 16 men on its second and third rows. A man steps one square forward or sideways and captures by jumping an adjacent piece forward or sideways; never backward.
• Flying kings: a dama king moves any distance in four directions like a rook and captures from afar, but may not turn back 180 degrees in the middle of a capture sequence.
• Maximum capture rule: if several captures are possible you must take the one that captures the most pieces; kings and men count the same.
• Draws: a lone king against a lone king, or fifty moves each by kings only with no capture.
• English checkers: 12 men each, diagonal moves on the dark squares, and kings that step one square.

Checkers modes in Hamdor

• Persian dama
• English checkers

Tips to win at Persian dama

• Back up your men. A piece can only be jumped if the square behind it is empty. Men with a friend behind or beside them form a wall.
• Use the forced capture. Your opponent must take the longest capture, so a well-placed sacrifice can lure them onto a square that hands you two or three pieces.
• Count their jumps first. Jumps chain on, and one careless empty square can open a long capture sequence.
• Don't open a file. Men never move back, so once an enemy man slips past your line nothing stops it from crowning.
• The first king is huge. A flying king controls the whole board; giving up a man to crown one is usually worth it.
• Trade when ahead, but don't let it come down to one king against one king, which is a draw.

Checkers in Hamdor

• Online, ranked: play real opponents and earn a rating. If nobody turns up within a few seconds, a bot takes the seat and is labelled as a bot.
• Private rooms: create a room, send the code to your friends and chat with stickers and reactions while you play.
• Bots: play offline against bots, to practise or when nobody is online.
• Two on one phone: pass the phone and play face to face.
• Stats and streaks: your win rate, best winning streak and this game's leaderboard.
• Your own look: change how the table and pieces look in the Hamdor shop. It is cosmetic only and never affects who wins.

Checkers FAQ