TURKISH CHECKERS RULES

How to play Turkish checkers (Dama): setup, forward and sideways moves, mandatory maximum capture, promotion, flying kings and draws.

What is Turkish checkers?

Turkish checkers (Dama) is a two-player strategy game on an 8×8 board. Unlike international draughts, pieces move orthogonally (forward and sideways), not diagonally. This guide follows the rules of YOZGAMES Turkish Checkers.

Board and pieces

Each player has 16 pieces on their second and third rows; the back row starts empty. White moves first.

Moving

• A man moves one square forward or one square sideways.
• Men never move backwards or diagonally.

Capturing

• Jump over an adjacent enemy piece forward or sideways to the empty square right behind it (men never capture backwards).
• Capturing is mandatory.
• Maximum capture: you must choose the sequence that takes the most pieces.
• Multi-jumps are allowed; a piece can't be jumped twice and captured pieces leave the board when the move ends.

Promotion and flying kings

A man that ends its move on the far row becomes a king; touching it in the middle of a capture chain is not enough. Kings move any distance forward, back or sideways and may land on any empty square beyond a captured piece.

Winning and draws

• A player with no legal move loses, including when they have no pieces left.
• In YOZGAMES Turkish Checkers, 40 moves in a row (both players' moves counted together) with no capture and no promotion end in a draw.

Beginner strategy

• Use forced captures as traps: give one piece to win more.
• Advance together; lone pieces are easy targets.
• Make a path to promotion; kings are very strong.
• Don't rush: men can't come back.

Play Turkish Checkers free against a three-level bot or two players on one device, with undo.