Turkish Draughts

How to play

Dama, draughts as played across Türkiye and the Levant, using every square of the board rather than just the dark ones. Men step and capture in straight lines only — forward and sideways — never diagonally, which makes for a very different feel from international draughts.

Rules

  • Tap one of your pieces then a highlighted square to move it one step forward or sideways (never backward, never diagonally).
  • Jump an adjacent AI piece into the empty square directly beyond it to capture it; jumps are compulsory whenever one is available, and you must take the longest capture chain on the board.
  • Reach the far rank to crown a flying Dama, which can move and capture any distance in a straight line, like a rook.
  • Capture every AI piece, or leave the AI with no legal move, to win.

Tips

Because men also capture sideways, straight walls of pieces are fragile — a single enemy piece can zig-zag through a whole row. Keep your own pieces staggered, and push one to the far rank early: a flying Dama that captures at range is worth several ordinary men.