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Draughts in Nineteen Easy Lessons.—It is very easy to learn the moves of the men on the draught-board, but it is not quite so easy to learn to play draughts. Draughts is not a complex game like chess, but simple and straightforward, and herein lies its charm to many people who are afraid of chess with its variety of men, and their diverse powers and moves. In draughts there is only one description of men when the board is set for play, and the only addition is when any of these men become promoted to Kings by gaining the opposite side of the board from that whence they started. It is plain then that any boy can learn the moves of the game in a few minutes, and can at once commence to play.
English draughts is played on the 32 white squares of a 64-square board, the squares of which are alternately coloured white and black, white and red, or in some other similar distinctive manner. There are 24 men—12 White and 12 Black.
Above is a diagram of the numbered draught-board, and it is well for the beginners to number the white squares of their draught-board in a similar manner. The best way to do this is to write the numbers on small pieces of paper and stick these on the upper left-hand corner of the squares. Then when the men are placed on the squares the numbers can still be read. It will be observed that the position of the board is the reverse of that of the chess-board, for here a black, and not a white square, occupies the lower right-hand corner. This brings what is technically called “the double corner” to the right hand of the player. The black “double corner” is formed by the squares 1 and 5; the white “double corner” by squares 32 and 28.
At the commencement of the game the Black men occupy the 3 rows of squares numbered from 1 to 12, and the White the 3 rows numbered from 32 to 21, the intervening two rows, numbered from 13 to 20, being vacant. The row 1 to 4 is Black’s crown-head, and the row 32 to 29 White’s crown-head; the square 4 being Black’s “single corner,” the square 29 White’s “single corner.” By usage in this country Black is always given the first move, which again reverses the custom observed in chess. The first move at draughts, however, gives no advantage to the player having it, whereas in chess the advantage of the first move is of some moment.