Draughts Variants Compared

About this comparison

This comparison describes how each variant is played inside Draughts World. It is not a summary of every outside rulebook; federations and local clubs may differ on details. In this app, all five variants share a core: men move diagonally forward, men capture both forward and backward, kings fly, capturing is compulsory, and the capture chain you choose must be finished.

The variants differ in three ways: board size, whether you must take the most pieces, and when a man is crowned during a capture.

Jamaican

Board 8x8, 12 pieces each, long dark diagonal from top-left to bottom-right. You may choose any available capture. Promotion is deferred until the chain ends, so a man ending away from the far row stays a man. A king must choose a continuing landing square after the same captured piece when one exists.

Russian

Board 8x8, 12 pieces each. You may choose any available capture. A man reaching the far row during a capture is crowned immediately and continues the chain as a flying king. That makes long, surprising king captures part of everyday Russian play.

Brazilian

Board 8x8, 12 pieces each. You must choose the capture that removes the most pieces. If a man reaches the far row during a capture, it is crowned and the chain stops there.

Pool

Board 8x8, 12 pieces each. You may choose any available capture. Crowning is deferred until the chain ends, similar to Jamaican in this app.

International

Board 10x10, 20 pieces each. You must choose the capture that removes the most pieces. In this app, a man reaching the far row mid-capture is crowned immediately. The larger board means longer games and more room for planning.

Quick reference

• Jamaican: 8x8, 12 each, any capture, crown after chain ends.
• Russian: 8x8, 12 each, any capture, crown immediately and keep capturing.
• Brazilian: 8x8, 12 each, must take the most, crown and stop the chain.
• Pool: 8x8, 12 each, any capture, crown after chain ends.
• International: 10x10, 20 each, must take the most, crown immediately in this app.

Choosing a variant

If you grew up with yard draughts in Jamaica, start with Jamaican. If you enjoy tactics, Russian rewards sharp king play. Brazilian and International teach strict capture counting, since the largest capture is forced. Switching variants is a good way to improve: each one trains a different habit of calculation.