This is a splendid game and one very easily learned. It is played upon a special board with thirty-two white and thirty-two black squares.
Two persons play at the game, who sit opposite to each other. The players have each a set of twelve pieces, or "men," the color of the sets being different, so that the players can distinguish their own men easily. The men are round and flat, and are usually made of boxwood or ebony and ivory, one set being white and the other black.
Before placing the men upon the board, it must be decided whether the white or the black squares are to be played on, as the whole must be put on one color only. If the white squares are selected, there must be a black square in the right-hand corner; if the black squares are to be played upon, then the right-hand corner square must be a white one.
The movements in checkers are very simple; a man can be moved only one square at a time, except as explained hereafter, and that diagonally, never straight forward or sideways. If an opponent's man stand in the way, no move can take place unless there be a vacant square beyond it, into which the man can be lifted. In this case the man leaped over is "taken" and removed from the board.
The great object of the game, then, is to clear the board of the opponent's men, or to hem them in in such a way that they cannot be moved, whichever player hems in the opponent or clears the board first gains the victory. As no man can be moved more than one step diagonally at a time (except when taking opponent's pieces), there can be no taking until the two parties come to close quarters; therefore, the pushing of the men continuously into each other's ground is the principle of the game.
In beginning the game, a great advantage can be obtained by having the first move; the rule, therefore, is, if several games are played, that the first move be taken alternately by the players.
When either of the players has, with his men, reached the extreme row of squares on the opposite side (the first row of his opponent), those men are entitled to be crowned, which is done by placing on the top of each another man, which may be selected from the men already removed from the board. The men so crowned are called "Kings" and have a new power of movement, as the player may now move them either backward or forward, as he wills, but always diagonally as before.
The Kings having this double power of movement, it is an important point for a player to get as many men crowned as possible. If each player should be fortunate enough to get two or three Kings, the game becomes very exciting. Immediately after crowning, it is well for a player to start blocking up his opponent's men, so as to allow more freedom for his own pieces, and thus prepare for winning the game.
It is the rule that if a player touch one of his men he must play it. If player A omit to take a man when it is in his power to do so, his opponent B can huff him; that is, take the man of the player A off the board. If it is to B's advantage, he may insist on his own man being taken, which is called a "blow." The usual way is to take the man of the player A who made the omission, and who was huffed, off the board.
It is not considered right or fair for any one watching the game to advise what move to be made, or for a player to wait longer than five minutes between each move.