The rules that shape your plans
Suvi plays English draughts, the game Americans call checkers. These details shape your plans, and some differ from the international game.
| Question | In Suvi |
|---|---|
| Can a man capture backwards? | No. Men move and jump forwards only. |
| How far does a king move? | One square at a time, forwards or backwards. No flying kings. |
| Must I take the longest capture? | No. You must capture, but you choose which one. |
| Can a man crown mid-jump and carry on? | No. Crowning ends the move. |
| When is it a draw? | 40 moves each without a capture, or a position repeated three times. |
The first answer matters most: a man can never step back to defend, so every forward move is a commitment.
Look for the shot: make forced captures work for you
Because capturing is compulsory, you can decide where an enemy piece goes next. Players call this a shot: you give up one man so that the piece which takes it lands where you can jump two in return. Suvi flags "A capture is on" when you must take, but not when the capture is a trap.
How to spot a shot:
- Look for two enemy pieces lined up so that one of your men could hop over the first, land on an empty square, then hop over the second. That is a double jump waiting to happen.
- Ask what you could offer to pull an enemy piece into that shape, or to drag away the piece blocking your jumper.
- Check every capture they could choose. If they have a second, harmless capture to pick instead, the shot fails.
The same idea works against you. Before each move, look at the square your move empties. Most lost pieces come from a man that stepped forward and left the square behind it open for an enemy to land on.
Keep pieces together and the bridge at home
A piece can only be jumped if the square behind it, on that diagonal, is empty. Men that move in pairs and triangles, each backing up another, are hard to attack. A lone man far up the board is a target.
Your back row is your defence against enemy kings. You can't keep all four men there for ever, so keep the two that matter most: the second and fourth dark squares of your back row, counting from your left. These two are called the bridge, and a single enemy man can't get past them on its own. Move your other two back men first and the bridge last.
Control the centre
A man in the middle has two ways forward and sits across your opponent's natural routes. Backed up, it blocks them and supports your own advance, so hold the centre early and don't swap those men off cheaply.
An edge man can't be jumped, since nothing can land beyond it, but it covers only one square ahead. Use the edge for a safe waiting move, not for an attack.
Trade when ahead, block when behind
One extra man matters little at twelve against eleven, and a lot at three against two. So once you are ahead, trade: put a man where it must be taken and where you can take back at once. Captures are forced, so your opponent can't refuse, and every even swap brings you closer to a won ending.
When you are behind, do the opposite. Keep pieces on, keep them locked together, and avoid open swaps. A blocked position can still win: a player with no legal move loses, even with pieces left.
In locked positions, count spare moves. The player who runs out of safe waiting moves first has to step into a capture, so a man that can still move without harm is worth more than it looks.
Kings and the endgame
A king is worth roughly one and a half men, because it can turn round. Crown one as soon as you can do it safely, then bring it back into the game: a king left on the far row is wasted.
- Two kings against one is a win, with care. The lone king runs to a double corner, the pair of dark squares side by side in a corner. Put one king beside the corner, use the other to cut off the escape squares, and force it out.
- Three against two usually wins. Offer a swap to reach two against one.
- One king each is a draw. Repeating the same position three times ends it.
Watch the draw count. After forty moves each without a capture the game is drawn, and Suvi shows a countdown beside the piece counts once ten moves each are left. If you are winning, make sure a capture happens before it runs out.
Getting more from the computer
Easy often walks into shots, so practise setting them up there. Medium punishes loose men. Hard sees deep combinations: lose a few games to it and look at how. Tap Hint to see the computer's choice and work out why before you play it; Undo lets you try the other line.
The same habit of looking one forced move ahead pays off in Nine Men's Morris and Reversi. More are on the two-player games page.
If you only remember three things
- Before every move, check what you will be forced to take next turn.
- Keep your two bridge men at home until late, and keep your other men in backed-up pairs.
- Ahead, trade pieces. Behind, keep pieces on and block.
Try it now in a game of draughts against the computer.
Questions
- Can a man capture backwards in Suvi's draughts?
- No. In Suvi, as in English draughts and American checkers, a man moves and captures only forwards. Only a king can jump backwards. International draughts lets men capture backwards; that is a different game.
- Do I have to take the most pieces when I capture?
- No. You must capture when you can, but you may choose a single jump even when a double jump is on elsewhere. Once a piece starts jumping, it must carry on for as long as it can jump again.
- Can a king jump several pieces in one move?
- Yes. A king jumps one piece at a time, like a man, but it may change direction and jump backwards in the same move. It can't slide along a diagonal or land several squares beyond a piece.
- What is the double corner?
- The two dark squares side by side in the corner on your right. A lone king is hardest to trap there, so a defending king heads for it and the attacker has to drive it out.
- What is a good first move?
- Move a man from your front row towards the centre and leave your back row alone. Early moves to the edge give up central squares for very little.
Play it now
Draughts is free on Suvi, on your phone or computer, no download. Also: Checkers vs Computer · 2 Player Checkers · Checkers With a Friend Online.