How to play
Turkish Draughts, called Dama in Turkey, is played on all 64 squares of the board. Pieces move in straight lines, never diagonally. Each player has 16 pieces on the second and third rows nearest them; the back row starts empty. You play white, at the bottom, and move first.
- Move a piece one square forward or one square to the left or right. Pieces never move backward.
- Capture by jumping. If an opponent’s piece is directly in front of yours or next to it, with an empty square behind it, jump over it and remove it. Pieces capture forward and sideways, never backward.
- Captures are compulsory, and you must take the most. If you can capture, you must, and you have to choose a move that takes as many pieces as possible. Pieces and kings count the same.
- Keep jumping. A piece that can jump again after landing continues in the same move. Each captured piece is removed straight away, so its square can be crossed later in the same move.
- Crown a king (dama). A piece that ends its move on the far row becomes a king, shown with a crown. If it reaches the far row in the middle of a capture, it finishes the capture as a plain piece.
- Kings fly. A king moves any number of empty squares forward, backward or sideways. It captures a piece at any distance along a line, as long as the squares between are empty, and lands on any empty square behind it. During a capture a king can turn 90 degrees but can’t turn straight back.
- Win by taking all your opponent’s pieces or leaving them without a legal move. If 40 moves pass on each side with no capture and no plain piece moving, the game is a draw.
Tap one of your pieces to see where it can go, then tap the square. When two capture routes end on the same square, tap the squares along the route you want. Choose Easy, Medium or Hard at the top. Hint shows a good move, and Undo takes back your last move together with the computer’s answer.
Strategy
- Count captures before you move. Because you must take the most pieces, one piece offered in the right place can force your opponent into a long capture that leaves a bigger one for you.
- Keep your pieces together. A piece with a friend beside it can’t be captured sideways from that side, and a solid row is hard to break.
- Advance on a wide front. A single piece running ahead is easily surrounded; several advancing together make the opponent give way.
- A king is worth about three pieces. Kings cross the whole board in one move, so crowning first usually decides the game. Keep an eye on your opponent’s pieces that are close to your back row.
- Watch the open lines. A king attacks along whole rows and columns, so an empty line next to your pieces is an open door.
If you enjoy Turkish Draughts, try Twelve Men’s Morris or Twist Five next.
