What makes this Jamaican draughts
Jamaican draughts belongs to the Pool checkers family, but it uses its own board and notation orientation. The playable corner is at the player’s lower right, Black starts, ordinary men move one diagonal square forward, and men may capture in either direction.
Capturing is compulsory, but this is not a “maximum capture” game. When several capture routes are available, the player may choose any one of them. Once a route is started, however, the same piece must continue capturing until no further capture is available from its landing square.
Flying kings and crowning
A king may travel any unobstructed distance along a diagonal. When capturing, it jumps the first opposing piece on that diagonal and may land on any empty square beyond it, provided the chosen landing supports a legal continuation when another capture is available.
A man is crowned only when the complete move finishes on the opponent’s back row. Passing through that row during a multi-capture does not turn the man into a king.
How common draughts variants differ
“Checkers” and “draughts” describe a family of games, not one universal ruleset. The comparison below explains why many generic online games feel different from the Jamaican version.
| Variant | Board and pieces | First move | Men capture backward? | King movement | Capture choice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamaican draughts | 8×8, 12 per side | Black | Yes | Flying king | Any legal complete route |
| American checkers / English draughts | 8×8, 12 per side | Black | No | One square | Any legal complete route |
| International draughts | 10×10, 20 per side | White | Yes | Flying king | Must capture the maximum number |
| Brazilian draughts | 8×8, 12 per side | White | Yes | Flying king | Must capture the maximum number |
| Russian draughts | 8×8, 12 per side | White | Yes | Flying king | Any legal complete route; promotion occurs during the sequence |
Winning and draw handling
You win by taking all opposing pieces or leaving the opponent without a legal move. This digital version also applies the Pool checkers three-kings-versus-one rule: the stronger side must win within 13 of its own moves. Threefold repetition is treated as a draw to prevent an endless browser game.