At a glance
| Board | 8×8 — the 32 dark squares |
|---|---|
| Pieces | 12 men per side |
| First move | White |
| Men | Move forward; capture forward and backward |
| Kings | Flying — any distance along open diagonals |
| Captures | Mandatory, majority rule: the line capturing most pieces is forced |
| Crowning | A man passing the back row mid-capture is NOT crowned — only if the move ends there |
| Draws | Threefold repetition, or long sequences of quiet king moves on both sides |
The starting position
How Brazilian draughts plays
Take the international rulebook — backward captures for men, flying kings, the majority rule forcing the longest capture, no crowning in passing — and play it on the standard 8×8 board with twelve men. That compression is the whole game: the same deep combinations arrive faster, because there is less board to hide on.
Who it suits
Brazilian draughts is the natural next step if you know English checkers and want the international mechanics without learning a 10×10 board's geography. It is also a gentler on-ramp to the full 10×10 game — every tactic transfers.
How Brazilian draughts differs from English draughts
| Aspect | English draughts | Brazilian draughts |
|---|---|---|
| First move | Darker color | White |
| Men capturing | Forward only | Forward and backward |
| Kings | One diagonal step | Flying kings — any distance |
| Capture choice | Free choice | Majority rule: longest capture forced |
| Crowning mid-jump | Ends the move, man is crowned | No crowning in passing |
| Rulebook | Its own tradition | International draughts, on the 8×8 board |
New to the family? Start with the English draughts rules, compare the seven variants, or jump into the interactive lessons.