---
title: International Draughts
slug: international
board: "10×10"
players: "2"
parent: draughts
order: 3
win: Capture or block all opponent pieces
special: Flying kings. Mandatory longest chain. Men capture backwards. Delayed removal.
engine:
  topology:
    type: grid
    rows: 10
    cols: 10
  players: [white, black]
  setup: "1b1b1b1b1b/b1b1b1b1b1/1b1b1b1b1b/b1b1b1b1b1/10/10/1w1w1w1w1w/w1w1w1w1w1/1w1w1w1w1w/w1w1w1w1w1"
---

## International Draughts

The competitive standard for tournament play worldwide. Evolved independently from Alquerque in the Netherlands around 1550, expanding to a 10x10 board with flying kings and strict capture priority rules. Historically called "Polish Draughts" (a misnomer from Dutch convention, not Polish origin). Governed by the World Draughts Federation (FMJD).

{{svg:international-board.svg "International Draughts — starting position"}}

### Setup

**Board:** 10×10 checkered board. Only the 50 dark squares are used. Orient the board so the long diagonal runs from each player's lower-left to upper-right.

**Pieces:** 20 men per player. Place all 20 on the dark squares of your four nearest rows. The two central rows remain empty.

**First move:** White moves first.

### Rules

- **Men movement:** Men move diagonally forward only, one square at a time, to an unoccupied dark square.
- **Men capture:** Men capture by jumping diagonally over an adjacent opponent piece to the vacant square beyond. Men can capture both forwards and backwards (unlike English Draughts).
- **Mandatory capture:** If any capture is available, it must be taken, even if disadvantageous.
- **Majority rule:** When multiple capture sequences are available, the player must choose the piece and path that captures the maximum number of pieces. If tied, the player may freely choose.
- **Delayed removal:** Captured pieces remain on the board until the entire multi-jump sequence is complete, then all are removed simultaneously. A jumped piece cannot be jumped again in the same sequence, but it still physically occupies its square during the turn.
- **No re-jumping:** A piece cannot jump over the same opponent piece twice in one sequence.

### King Promotion

When a man ends its turn on the opponent's back row, it is promoted to a King (flying king).

- **Flying kings:** Kings move any number of unoccupied squares diagonally in any direction.
- **King capture:** Kings capture by jumping over a single opponent piece that is any number of empty squares away along a diagonal, landing on any open square beyond the captured piece along the same line.
- **No mid-sequence promotion:** If a man passes through the opponent's back row during a multi-jump sequence (without stopping there), it is NOT promoted. Promotion only occurs when the piece ends its turn on the back row.

### Winning

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

### Draws

The game is a draw when:

- Both players agree.
- The same position occurs three times with the same player to move.
- 25 consecutive king moves pass with no capture and no man movement.
- Neither player can force a win.

### Strategy

The 10x10 board rewards long-range planning. Flying kings dominate the endgame, so preventing your opponent's promotion while securing your own is critical. The majority capture rule creates combination opportunities: sacrifice pieces to force your opponent into a capture sequence that leaves them exposed.

### Attribution

Traditional variant. Public domain. Rules standardised by the World Draughts Federation (FMJD). Source: FMJD Official Rules, Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA).