DRAUGHTS.

“White to black and black to white.
Now give the challenge—wage the fight.”—Clarkson.

Draughts is a modern invention, and is a good preliminary to chess. It is not so intricate a game, for the pieces are of equal value till they become kings, and can only move one way; but like chess, success depends entirely upon skill, and one false move frequently occasions the loss of the game. Draughts seems to have come into vogue in Europe about the middle of the fourteenth century, and for a long time there were two methods of playing it; the one commonly used in England being the French game, which is played upon a chess-board, and the other the Polish game, which requires a board with ten squares or chequers in each row, and twenty men. The men in the Polish game can only move forwards as they do in the French game, but they have the privilege of taking backwards and forwards, and the king, when made, if not opposed by two men close together, can move from one corner of the board to the other The Polish game admits of most variety, and is in our opinion infinitely the best, but it is little played in this country, except by foreigners, many of whom during the Great Exhibition year proved themselves adepts at the game.

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME.

The draughtboard consists of sixty-four squares, black and white, and there are twelve men, or pieces, of a white colour, and twelve of a black colour to be used. The board should be placed with an upper white corner towards the right hand. The players select each twelve men of the colour they prefer. The pieces, or men, are to be thus placed on the board: the black pieces on the first twelve white squares, and the white on the last twelve white squares. When they are thus placed the game begins.

THE MOVES.

The pieces move forward diagonally, and it is the object of the players to take all each other’s men; the player who has the black pieces taking the white, and the player who has the white men taking the black. The first player—say Black—moves his piece angularly to the first white square, and then, if nothing intervenes between his piece and that of his opponent, and there is a vacant square in his line left behind him, the white can pass his piece over him to the space so unoccupied, and take his man, which is withdrawn from the board. The same may be repeated by the adversary; and thus the players go on taking each other’s pieces till one or the other cannot move, or all the pieces are taken. When a piece, however, arrives at the last row of the enemy’s ground, it becomes what is called a king, and is crowned by another piece being placed on it. It may then be moved backwards and forwards at pleasure, and can take both ways. When a player neglects to take a piece, he is what is called huffed, that is, he loses the piece that ought to have been moved.

LAWS OF THE GAME.

1. The moves are alternate, the first move being determined by lot.

2. The choice of men to be also decided by lot, but they should be changed every three games.

3. Whichever piece is touched must be played.

4. No player can remain more than five minutes without playing. He may be warned at the end of five minutes.

5. Neither player must leave the room without permission of his adversary.

6. In case of huff, the opponent, in lieu of taking a piece for the omission, can insist on his being taken.

7. Each party must sit free so as not to obstruct a view of the board, and no pointing at pieces is allowed.

8. When a false move is made, the piece must be moved to whatever square the opponent dictates.

9. All disputes between players to be referred to a third party.

10. Bystanders must make no remarks during the game.

GAMES FOR PRACTICE.

Playing draughts is a game which is best learned by experience and repeated defeats. It requires circumspection and caution, and especially demands calculation of the effects of the different moves upon the fortune of the game. The moves should be calculated mentally. The men should be kept as much in the centre of the board as possible; and the gentlemanly player will consider all drawn games as won by his opponent, and never triumph over the vanquished. The following games will give the young player a good general idea of draughts, but his success as a player will depend entirely upon his own application and habit of thought:—

Game I.

No.	Colour.	from	to
1.	B.	11	15
2.	W.	22	18
3.	B.	15	22
4.	W.	25	18
5.	B.	8	11
6.	W.	29	25
7.	B.	4	8
8.	W.	25	22
9.	B.	12	16
10.	W.	24	20
11.	B.	10	15
12.	W.	27	24
13.	B.	16	19
14.	W.	23	16
15.	B.	15	19
16.	W.	24	15
17.	B.	9	14
18.	W.	18	9
19.	B.	11	25
20.	W.	32	27
21.	B.	5	14
22.	W.	27	23
23.	B.	6	10
24.	W.	16	12
25.	B.	8	11
26.	W.	28	24
27.	B.	25	29
28.	W.	30	25
29.	B.	29	22
30.	W.	26	17
31.	B.	11	15
32.	W.	20	16
33.	B.	15	18
34.	W.	24	20
35.	B.	18	27
36.	W.	31	24
37.	B.	14	18
38.	W.	16	11
39.	B.	7	16
40.	W.	20	11
41.	B.	18	23
42.	W.	11	8
43.	B.	23	27
44.	W.	8	4
45.	B.	27	31
46.	W.	4	8
47.	B.	31	27
48.	W.	24	20
49.	B.	27	23
50.	W.	8	11
51.	B.	23	18
52.	W.	11	8
53.	B.	18	15
&c.
White loses.

Game II.

No.	Colour.	from	to
1.	B.	11	15
2.	W.	22	18
3.	B.	15	22
4.	W.	25	18
5.	B.	8	11
6.	W.	29	25
7.	B.	4	8
8.	W.	25	22
9.	B.	12	16
10.	W.	24	20
11.	B.	10	15
12.	W.	21	17
13.	B.	7	10
14.	W.	27	24
15.	B.	8	12
16.	W.	17	13
17.	B.	9	14
18.	W.	18	9
19.	B.	5	14
20.	W.	24	19
21.	B.	15	24
22.	W.	28	19
23.	B.	14	17
24.	W.	32	27
25.	B.	10	14
26.	W.	27	24
27.	B.	3	7
28.	W.	30	25
29.	B.	6	9
30.	W.	13	6
31.	B.	1	10
32.	W.	22	13
33.	B.	14	18
34.	W.	23	14
35.	B.	16	30
36.	W.	25	21
37.	B.	10	17
38.	W.	21	14
39.	B.	30	25
40.	W.	14	9
41.	B.	11	15
42.	W.	9	6
43.	B.	2	9
44.	W.	13	6
45.	B.	15	18
46.	W.	6	2
47.	B.	7	10
48.	W.	2	6
49.	B.	10	14
50.	W.	6	9
51.	B.	25	21
52.	W.	31	26
53.	B.	14	17
&c.
Drawn.