4. Gameplay
Moving a Man
- A man moves forwards along a diagonal to an empty square of the next row (3.4)
- A move is finished when the player has released the piece (3.10)
- Touching one of your own playable pieces obliges you to play it, provided a legal move exists (3.11)
- Until the piece is released you may still place it on another free square (3.12)
- To tidy pieces without moving them, announce "I adjust" (or j'adoube) clearly and beforehand (3.13)
- Touching or adjusting any piece when it is not your move is incorrect (3.14)
Kings
- A king is a man that reaches and stops on a square of the promotion line nearest the opponent, and is crowned with a man of the same colour (3.5)
- Either player may crown the man; if the opponent does not, crowning it is part of the mover's own move, and failing to do so is an irregular move (3.6)
- A promoted man is a king even while uncrowned, and either player may crown it later — but playing with an uncrowned king is an irregular move (3.7)
- A newly crowned king cannot move until the opponent has played (3.8)
- A king moves forwards and backwards along its diagonal over successive free squares, and may come to rest on a distant free square (3.9)
Capturing Is Compulsory
- Capture is possible both forwards and backwards, counts as one complete move, and you may never capture your own pieces (4.1)
- When a man meets an opponent's piece diagonally with a free square behind it, he is obliged to jump it and occupy that square; the jumped piece is removed (4.2)
- A king meeting an opponent's piece on its diagonal — close or distant — with one or more empty squares behind it is obliged to jump and may land on any free square beyond (4.3)
- The capture of the largest number of pieces has priority and is obligatory; a king carries no priority and counts as one piece, exactly like a man (4.13)
- Between captures of equal value the player chooses freely, with a man or a king (4.14)
Multiple Captures
- A man that meets a further capturable piece during a capture must jump that second piece, and a third, and so on (4.5)
- A king may turn a corner onto a perpendicular diagonal to continue a capture, finishing on a square of choice beyond the last piece taken (4.6)
- It is forbidden to jump your own pieces during a multiple capture (4.7)
- You may pass over the same empty square more than once, but never over the same enemy piece twice (4.8)
- A man that merely passes over the promotion row mid-capture and ends elsewhere remains a man (4.15, confirming 3.5)
Executing a Capture Cleanly
- A capture must be clearly indicated and executed in order; absence of clear indication is incorrect and the opponent may request rectification (4.4)
- The move and the removal of captured pieces must be done with one and the same hand — using two hands is incorrect (4.4)
- Indicate a multiple capture by putting the piece down on the empty square after each jump (4.9)
- Captured pieces are lifted only after the capture is complete, in ascending or descending order of the capture, without stopping (4.11)
- The capture is finished when all captured pieces have been lifted (4.4); removal is finished when the player has taken all of them or has clearly stopped (4.12)
- When a man captures a single man, it is permitted to remove the opponent's man first and then jump (4.16)
Irregularities
- On any listed irregularity the opponent chooses whether it is rectified or allowed to stand (5.4)
- The list covers playing two moves in a row, moving irregularly, touching one piece and moving another, taking back a move, moving the opponent's piece, and playing a quiet move when a capture was available (5.4.1–5.4.6)
- It also covers capturing the wrong number of pieces, stopping mid-capture, lifting pieces irregularly, removing too few, removing unjumped pieces, and removing one's own pieces (5.4.8–5.4.14)
- Promoting without crowning, playing an uncrowned king, and using two hands are each irregularities (5.4.15, 5.4.16, 5.4.17)
- An accidental disturbance of the position is not an irregularity, provided it is noticed at the same time (5.5)
- Playing a move after the opponent's irregularity accepts it — rectification can no longer be obtained (5.7)
- Partial rectification of an irregularity or a refusal cannot be tolerated (5.8)
- A player refusing to comply with the official rules can be forced to comply by the opponent (5.6)