Draughts (Checkers) – Game Rules
Setup and Board

The game is played on an 8×8 board with alternating dark and light squares, where the rightmost corner square on each player’s side is dark
Two players face each other across the board
Each player starts with 12 pieces (men)
Pieces are placed on the dark squares of the first three rows closest to each player
One player uses dark pieces, the other uses light pieces

Basic Movement and Gameplay

Dark pieces always make the first move
Men move forward diagonally one square at a time
When a man reaches the opposite end of the board, it is “crowned” and becomes a King
Kings can move forward or backward diagonally along entire diagonal lines

Captures and Jumps

A capture occurs when a piece jumps over an opponent’s piece to a vacant square beyond it
The captured piece is removed from the board
Captures are mandatory – if a player can make a capture, they must do so
When multiple capture opportunities exist, the player may choose which capture to make
If a player fails to make a mandatory capture, their piece may be “huffed” (removed from the game)

Winning and Losing
A player loses the game when either:

They have no valid moves available on their turn
All of their pieces have been captured