Russian draughts · Variants

Russian promotion rule

Russian draughts has a sharp promotion rule. When a man reaches the far row in the middle of a capture, it crowns immediately. If another jump is open, it keeps capturing as a king in the same turn.

5 min · 4 steps

This is the written edition of an interactive Boardgammon lesson — in the app, the coach narrates while you play every move on a live board.

Step 1 · Crowning is active

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On the board: Crown mid-jump

Russian draughts has a sharp promotion rule. When a man reaches the far row in the middle of a capture, it crowns immediately. If another jump is open, it keeps capturing as a king in the same turn.

Coach narration

Step 2 · What if promotion happens mid-capture?

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A man reaches the far row during a capture and has another king jump available. What happens in Russian draughts?

Choose the Russian promotion rule.

Quick check

  • It continues the capture as a king
  • The turn always stops at promotion
  • It keeps capturing but stays a man
Show the correct answer

Correct answer: It continues the capture as a king — Correct. That immediate king continuation makes Russian tactics very sharp.

  • The turn always stops at promotion — Some variants stop there. Russian draughts can continue as a king.
  • It keeps capturing but stays a man — That is the International draughts rule. In Russian draughts the man crowns the moment it touches the far row and continues the same capture as a king.

Coach narration

Step 3 · Continue as a king

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On the board: Full route

Now play the whole sequence. The man crowns on the far row, then keeps capturing with king range.

Tap the dark man, then follow the highlighted capture route through promotion.

The move: 22x31x24

Good. The capture continued after crowning, which is the Russian rule.

Common mistake: Land exactly on the marked square. Do not stop on the crown row — in a real game the new king could even fly farther, but follow the highlighted route for this lesson.

Coach narration

Step 4 · Read the whole sequence

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Before choosing a Russian capture, scan the whole route. A man can crown and suddenly gain flying-king range in the same turn.

Coach narration

What you learned

You now know the Russian essentials: men capture backward, kings fly along diagonals, you choose freely among captures, and a man that crowns mid-capture keeps capturing as a king.

Coach narration