What is Russian draughts?
Russian draughts, shashki in Russian, is played on the same 8×8 board with the same 12 men a side as checkers, but its pieces are far more mobile.
Men move one square diagonally forward and capture both forwards and backwards. Kings fly along whole diagonals. Capturing is compulsory, but when there are several captures you may choose any of them and need not take the most pieces.
One rule is special to the Russian game: a man that reaches the far row in the middle of a capture is crowned at once and, if it can, goes on capturing as a king in the same move.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Checkers | Russian draughts |
|---|---|---|
| Men capturing | Standard CheckersMen capture forwards only. | Russian draughtsMen capture forwards and backwards, though they still move only forwards. |
| Kings | Standard CheckersMove and capture one step diagonally in any direction. | Russian draughtsFly: move any distance along a diagonal and capture a piece from a distance, landing on any free square beyond it. |
| Choosing a capture | Standard CheckersCapturing is compulsory and you may choose any capture. | Russian draughtsThe same: compulsory, with a free choice. A capture once started must be completed. |
| Reaching the far row in a capture | Standard CheckersThe man is crowned and the move ends. | Russian draughtsThe man is crowned at once and goes on capturing as a king if it can. |
| Draws | Standard CheckersThreefold repetition, or 40 moves each with only kings moving and no capture. | Russian draughtsThreefold repetition; 15 moves each with only kings moving and no capture; three kings that don't take a lone king within 15 moves; with kings on both sides and no capture, 5, 30 or 60 moves each with 2–3, 4–5 or 6–7 pieces, and 5 moves for three pieces against a lone king on the main diagonal. |
History
Draughts has been played in Russia for centuries, and the 8×8 game with flying kings became the national form of the game. Russian writers on the game published studies and problems from the 19th century, and the Soviet Union built a large club and championship system around it.
Russian draughts is still widely played in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states and Central Asia. Its rules are close to Brazilian draughts, and the two 8×8 games are run internationally within the FMJD's Section 64.