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; free choice among capture lines — no majority rule |
| Crowning | A man crowned mid-capture stops — the turn ends |
| Endgame rule | Three kings vs one lone king: win within 13 moves or the game is drawn |
The starting position
How pool checkers plays
Pool checkers sits one rule away from Russian draughts: men capture forward and backward, kings fly, and you choose freely among capture lines (no majority rule). The one flip: a man that reaches the king row mid-capture is crowned and stops there — it does not continue the chain as a king the way a Russian man does.
The three-kings rule
Pool's tradition — organized in the United States by the APCA — carries a distinctive endgame clock: with three kings against a lone king, the stronger side must force the win within thirteen of its own moves or the game is declared a draw. Boardgammon's engine implements this rule as written, so you cannot shuffle three kings forever.
How Pool checkers differs from English draughts
| Aspect | English draughts | Pool checkers |
|---|---|---|
| First move | Darker color | White |
| Men capturing | Forward only | Forward and backward |
| Kings | One diagonal step | Flying kings — any distance |
| Capture choice | Free choice | Free choice (same spirit, bigger jumps) |
| Crowning mid-jump | Ends the move | Ends the move (unlike Russian, where the new king keeps going) |
| Special draw | 40-move no-progress rule | APCA rule: 3 kings vs 1 must win in 13 moves |
New to the family? Start with the English draughts rules, compare the seven variants, or jump into the interactive lessons.