Polish checkers
- Also called:
- continental checkers
- Related Topics:
- checkers
Polish checkers, board game, a variety of checkers (draughts) most played in continental Europe.
The game is played on a board of 100 squares with 20 pieces on a side. The pieces move and capture as in checkers, except that in capturing they may move backward as well as forward. A piece is promoted to queen (or king) when it ends its move on the opponent’s back line. If, on reaching that line, more captures are possible, they must be made; the piece involved is not promoted until it again reaches the back line and remains there at the end of a move. A queen may move any number of squares along a diagonal, capturing any unguarded pieces in its path and changing diagonals to take any other unguarded pieces on the board.
The German game Damenspiel is Polish checkers played on the 64-square chessboard with 12 men on a side, as in draughts-style checkers.