Pool Checkers

Pool Checkers

The American tournament variant, governed by the American Pool Checkers Association since 1966. Combines backward captures for men, flying kings, and mid-jump promotion with free choice between captures (no majority rule). More aggressive than English Draughts due to backward capture, more forgiving than International due to free choice.

Setup

Board: 8×8 checkered board, dark squares only. Same layout as English Draughts.

Pieces: 12 men per player on dark squares of the three nearest rows.

First move: Black moves first (note: opposite convention to most variants).

Rules

• Men movement: Men move diagonally forward only, one square at a time.
• Men capture: Men capture diagonally by jumping over an adjacent opponent piece. Men can capture both forwards AND backwards.
• Mandatory capture: Captures are compulsory.
• Free choice: When multiple capture sequences exist, the player may freely choose. No majority rule.
• Mid-jump promotion: If a man reaches the back row during a multi-jump sequence, it is promoted to a king immediately and continues capturing as a king in the same turn.
• Immediate removal: Captured pieces are removed from the board immediately after being jumped.

King Promotion

• Flying kings: Kings move any number of unoccupied squares diagonally in any direction.
• King capture: Kings capture by jumping over a single opponent piece at any distance along a diagonal, landing on any open square beyond.

Winning

A player wins when their opponent has no legal move: all pieces captured or all pieces blocked.

Draws

The game is a draw when:

• Both players agree.
• The same position repeats.
• Neither player can force a win.

Strategy

Backward captures for men make every piece a threat in both directions, reducing the safety of the back row. Mid-jump promotion combined with free choice allows creative sacrifice sequences: you can choose a shorter capture that promotes to a king mid-jump rather than a longer but purely pedestrian sequence.

Attribution

Traditional variant. Public domain. Governed by the American Pool Checkers Association (est. 1966). Source: Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA).