International Draughts (Dames) — free online Board game
The 10×10 jeu de dames: backward captures, the majority capture rule and flying kings.
International draughts — le jeu de dames — is free to play in your browser: the 10×10 game played in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and across West Africa. Each side has 20 pieces on the dark squares. Men move one square diagonally forward but may capture backwards too, captures are compulsory and you must take the sequence that wins the most pieces (la prise majoritaire). A man that ends its move on the far row is crowned a king, a flying king that slides along a whole diagonal and captures from a distance. Play against the computer at three levels or with a friend on the same screen, with undo and move highlights. No download, no sign-up.
Quick start
- Press Start and pick a computer level or 2 players.
- Tap one of your pieces: the squares it can reach light up. Tap a square to move.
- When a capture is possible you must take — and the game only offers the captures that take the most pieces.
- Reach the far row to crown a king; take or block every enemy piece to win.
How to play International Draughts (Dames)
- The board has 10×10 squares and each side starts with 20 men on the dark squares of its first four rows. White moves first.
- A man moves one square diagonally forward. It captures by jumping over an adjacent enemy piece to the empty square behind — forwards or backwards.
- Captures are compulsory and can chain: after a jump, a piece that can jump again must keep going. Captured pieces are removed only at the end of the move.
- Majority capture: when several captures are possible you must play the one that takes the most pieces (a king counts as one piece like any other).
- A man that ends its move on the far row becomes a king. Kings fly: they move any distance along a diagonal and can capture a piece at a distance, landing on any empty square beyond it.
- You win when your opponent has no pieces left or no legal move.
Words of the game
- Pionman
- An ordinary piece.
- Dameking
- A crowned piece that flies along whole diagonals.
- Rafle
- A multiple capture taking several pieces in one move.
- Prise majoritaire
- The rule that you must take the most pieces possible.
Controls
- Tap a piece, then the square to move to; multi-jumps follow the highlighted path
- Undo takes back your last move (and the computer's reply)
- Choose Easy, Normal, Hard or 2 players in the side panel
Tips
- Keep your pieces together; a lone piece in front is easy to trap.
- Use the majority rule to force your opponent into a capture that opens a bigger rafle for you.
- Hold the long diagonal: a king there controls the whole board.
- Don't rush to the far row — a single king rarely wins against many men.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from American checkers?
A bigger 10×10 board, backward captures for men, flying kings and the compulsory majority capture.
Can a man become a king in the middle of a capture?
Only if the capture ends on the last row; passing through it during a rafle does not crown the piece.
Where can I play the 8×8 versions?
Our Checkers page has the American and Brazilian 8×8 rules.
Is it free?
Yes, completely free in your browser, with no download and no account.