A country name is not a rulebook. Several forms can coexist in one country. Compare board size, pieces, capture direction, king range and capture priority before transferring a familiar combination.
In this guide
English draughts / American checkers
On 8×8 with twelve men each, men move and capture forwards and kings have short range. Captures are compulsory, without maximum-capture priority. Reaching the crowning rank ends the turn. The WCDF rulebook is the reference for this form.
Further reading: WCDF: Rules of Draughts / Checkers
International draughts: a different board
The FMJD game uses 10×10, twenty men each and White first. Men can capture backwards and kings have long range. A capture must take the greatest number of opposing pieces; a king counts as one piece, just like a man.
Further reading: FMJD: International draughts rules, Annex 1
Russian and Brazilian draughts
Both use 8×8 with twelve men, backward captures by men and long-range kings. Russian rules allow a choice of capture route and immediate promotion during a capture, continuing as a king. Brazilian rules require maximum capture; merely passing through the last rank does not automatically crown a continuing man.
Further reading: IDF: Official rules of draughts-64
Italian draughts
This form also uses 8×8 and twelve men, but an ordinary man cannot capture a king. Kings have short range. Additional priorities supplement maximum capture. The board orientation differs too: the near-right square is dark. Consult the Italian rulebook rather than a generic 8×8 summary.
Further reading: Federazione Italiana Dama: Technical rules, 2025
What our switches actually change
Both our settings stay on 8×8. Their principal difference is short versus long-range kings. Men capture forwards in either mode; choice among complete capture sequences and stopping on promotion remain. The browser edition therefore is not a selector for all the national rules described above.
The same position can produce different legal moves: a distant king may reach an opponent under one rule set but not another. When changing variants, first rehearse a simple capture and a promotion example before beginning a full game.
Position as text
Light c3 (king); Dark f6; Dark a7. Light to move.
Agree an unambiguous rule set
- Specify the board, initial setup and colour moving first.
- Check capture direction, king range and capture priorities separately.
- Read how promotion during a sequence, removal of captured pieces and draws are handled.
- Do not treat a national label as a guarantee covering every regional house rule.