Draughts: A beginner's guide

A beginner's guide (everything you should know + examples)

How do you start playing draughts?

Not long ago, the answer to this question was: "Take the board, pieces and get to work!"

Today, at a time when almost everyone has access to the Internet, moreover - in their smartphones, the chance for playing a fast game or a fierce draughts duel with a worthy opponent is much bigger.

But step by step ... . First of all, every primary school should have draughts in the form of a traditional board game. If you see you have a flair for playing, it is worth reporting it to your teacher to help you develop further. For most draughts players, the school was the first stage in their professional careers.

Draughts online

The second development stage, which has accompanied numerous players, is Kurnik, a free Polish online game site. There are several types of draughts, but it is worth mentioning that the most popular are draughts-100 (played on a 10x10 board, called international or Polish draughts) as well as draughts-64 (played on an 8x8 board) - the ones most of us have at home probably. More about the varieties and rules of draughts can be found here.

Thanks to online game sites you can deal with a player at your level. Each player, having a given number of gameplays on his account, "forms" his ranking and this way has the opportunity to choose equal or, if he prefers, stronger opponents. Systematic training gives really good results and helps improve playing draughts.

Play draughts everywhere - a downloadable game for your phone

Smartphones today have absolutely overtaken the world, and although they have their downsides, they also have undeniable advantages - thanks to them, everyone can find various free and useful applications. I certainly refer to good draughts’ applications, which will not only help you raise your proficiency level, but above all, will make your free time more pleasant or will help "kill" boredom on the bus, tube, tram or train.

What's more, I am convinced that warming up the mind with draughts in the morning, before school starts, can be helpful, even while studying, and in particular... during maths lessons! To make it clear - I do not encourage to spend every free minute in front of the smartphone screen, but if you have a choice between a shooter, which adds little if anything to our personal development, and a puzzle game perfecting our brain - for me the choice is obvious. Always draughts :)

Or maybe a traditional draughts game against a real opponent? Play with your Mum, Dad, Grandpa, a sister ...

Let's leave internet applications for a while and return to the traditional draughts game, which has always been present in our homes. The Internet will never replace a "real and live" opponent. And I know from my personal experience how good draughts players our grandparents are. That is why it is worth sitting down in the evening with a cup of tea and a biscuit, and enjoy this beautiful game with your family. And don't be fooled by appearances - don't underestimate any opponent, even the well-known one, because every opportunity is good to improve your skills. And outplaying your grandpa will mean a decent level!

How to win in draughts?

This question is quite difficult and really complex, but I will try to outline some helpful tips which will definitely help you build a position while playing draughts and, consequently, get two points!

The most important goal of the game is, of course, to capture as many opponents' pieces as possible or block them in a way the opponent cannot move. Even one advantage in a precisely played game leads to victory.

The strategy basis - position building

To begin with, a few myths should be dispelled and some bad habits of a beginner player got rid of. Well, the vast majority of people who start their adventure with draughts, play their openings (i.e. a few initial moves in the gameplay), transferring their pieces to the edges (border sides of the draughts board). You can't openly tell off this style of playing, yet building a strong centre is undoubtedly a better and more effective tactic. In the graphic below, we can compare the "edge" position of whites and the "central" position of blacks.

Definitely more combination opportunities can be created by running this type of gameplay, and it is also harder to oppose the player who has strengthened the centre.

The diagram clearly shows that the whites have spread along the edges (without any significant perspective), and the blacks go forward in the centre with all their force to push the white ones.

Another technical mistake made by a novice player is to leave all kings upheld (as seen in the diagram above on the white side). This habit is linked to the conviction that this way you can prevent the opponent’s piece from turning into a king quickly. This tactic, unfortunately, will not work in the long run, especially when playing with a stronger player. Sooner or later the player will be forced to make a move with these pieces, and then our opponent may go so far that we cannot bring these pieces back to the game. Therefore, it is best to follow a single plan and build a central position, moving all pieces consistently.

Don’t make empty gaps

Referring to previous tips, it is worth emphasising that the player's position should be strong, central and tight-knit. This means we should not create too many gaps in our position, as it may help the opponent to make a combination and capture a large number of our pieces. The graphics below illustrate the position of a beginner and a professional player.

Can you see the difference? In diagram No. 1 the position is "scattered", while in diagram No. 2 it is compact, without unnecessary gaps and weak pieces. In the positions presented in Diagram No. 2 it is much more difficult to perform a combination and capture a large number of pieces, which is why you should follow such tactic.

Each pawn in draughts is at a premium

Remember - take your time and play carefully. Do not treat draughts merely in a way of "moving the pieces diagonally", approach the game with respect and try to look for logic and beauty in them each time you play. As I stressed earlier - one more piece is a big measurable advantage. Therefore, check your opponent's abilities and try to predict the consequences of your moves. At the beginning, try to count one/two moves forward, over time you will see how your mathematical skills improve and you will be able to foresee a large part of your opponent's move.

Tactics in draughts - three golden rules

Draughts are said to have three golden rules which every player should follow before making a move. Thanks to these rules we know what to pay special attention to:

1. Firstly, check if there are any combinations on the board - the combination is a sequence of moves where your opponent is to take your piece or several pieces so as you captured more opponent’s pieces.
2. Then check whether the opponent has set a trap for you - it's worth analysing all situations where the opponent gives in his/her pieces.
3. Having checked all the combination possibilities for both of you, choose the best in your view positional move.

Finally, answering the question How to win at draughts, you should also answer the question - how to lose at draughts? Learning to lose is very difficult, it is associated with discouragement and even tears, but treat it as a motivation and stimulus for further action and effort. Nobody is born a champion - remember that talent is one thing, but only hard work can help you reach the top.

What do draughts develop and why it is worth playing?

What makes draughts different from physical sports is definitely the lack of ... injury! Draughts is a mind sport that improves the broadly understood condition, in particular intellectual, and practicing it brings a lot of benefits.

Memory improvement

This benefit will be definitely mentioned by every draughts player straightaway. Draughts is a mind sport developing logical and quick thinking skills. Each draughts gameplay is an exercise for the imagination - players must anticipate subsequent moves and visualise the position of the pieces on the board. After all, it is simply impossible to relocate the pieces on the board during the game. Playing draughts we train our brain and solve various mental puzzles this way, without even realising it.

Thus, there should be no surprise that playing draughts regularly smooths learning in school. Thanks to draughts, any memory exercise which requires learning a poem, for example, is less difficult for children. Draughts enthusiasts usually have no problems learning mathematics at school. Mathematics also requires concentration and logical thinking, which is why a mathematician can shake hands with a draughts player.

While listing the advantages of playing draughts, we should not focus only on the younger generation. Draughts can very effectively help keep the mind in good shape and train memory when it comes to older age groups, so it's good to persuade our grandparents to devote their time to playing draughts. Having several gameplays a day (with proper concentration) will definitely be great for the brain condition.

Concentration, discipline and patience

Each game of draughts is played out in full concentration and silence so as not to disturb or distract our opponent. Thus, this way even the youngest players learn discipline and respect for other people.

Not everyone knows it, but the standard gameplay during important official international draughts (Polish draughts) tournaments lasts about 5 hours. For beginners, such time spent in front of the draughtboard seems quite abstract, but as it turns out, the more you train and devote time to draughts, the more you want to show off with your skills during the tournament. An in-depth analysis of the situation on the board takes time.

Draughts for health

Experience shows that children with hyperactivity who trained draughts for a long time and actively participated in tournaments, managed to get rid of many of the negative aspects connected with these abnormalities in behaviour. Draughts hush or else "force" to maintain total silence and calm during the gameplay, which allows you to deal effectively with this type of difficulty.

Let's not forget that our brain works like a muscle that needs to be trained. Studies prove that playing draughts by older people can help prevent Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, it is worth playing preventively several gameplays a day, to keep our brain in ceaselessly good condition. 

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