Turkish Draughts FAQ

Common questions about dama, answered · Updated August 20, 2026

Quick answers to the questions people ask most about Turkish draughts. For the full detail, see the rules and the differences pages — or just play a game.

What is Turkish draughts?

An 8×8 checkers variant (Turkish: dama) played on all 64 squares, where pieces move and capture orthogonally — forward and sideways — and kings move like a rook. Maximum capture is compulsory.

It is the member of the draughts family that feels least like the others. Every other variant on this site is a diagonal game played on half the board; Turkish draughts uses the whole board and moves in straight lines, which changes not just the tactics but how the position looks to you. Players who arrive from American checkers usually find the first few games disorienting in a way that Brazilian or international draughts never are, despite those two having more rules to learn.

How do pieces move in Turkish draughts?

A man moves one square forward or sideways (never backward, never diagonally) and captures the same way, by jumping over an adjacent enemy piece onto the empty square directly beyond it. A king moves and captures any distance in a straight orthogonal line — see the rules.

The sideways move is the detail newcomers forget. It means a man is never truly stuck the way a blocked checkers piece is, and it means a piece can be attacked from three directions rather than two.

Does Turkish draughts use all the squares?

Yes — unlike diagonal checkers, which uses only the dark squares, Turkish draughts uses every square of the board. This is why the colour of the squares is decorative here rather than functional, and why the game has 64 usable squares against a checkers board's 32.

How many pieces are there?

16 per side, filling every square of the second and third rows. Note which rows those are: the back row starts empty, unlike checkers where the back rank is part of the setup. That empty row is the row your opponent needs to reach in order to crown.

Who moves first in Turkish draughts?

On this site red moves first, in every variant, so the rule is the same one you already know from the checkers board. Players then alternate turns throughout — there is no double move and no option to pass, and if it is your turn you must move if you legally can.

Can men capture backward?

No — men capture forward and sideways only. This differs from Brazilian and international draughts, where men can capture backward, and it means a piece that has passed one of your men is safe from it.

Do not let that make you complacent. The sideways capture more than compensates: a piece standing next to one of yours is threatening it just as surely as a piece in front of it, and that is the direction players coming from a diagonal game consistently fail to check.

How do kings move?

Like a rook: any distance in a straight orthogonal line, capturing from afar and landing on any empty square beyond the victim. The king is enormously powerful here — it can sweep an entire rank or file, and because the board has no unusable squares there is nowhere to hide from one.

This is why the race to promote matters more in Turkish draughts than in American checkers, where a king is only a slightly improved man. Getting the first king is frequently the whole game.

What is the maximum-capture rule?

When several captures are available you must take the one that captures the most pieces. If two lines tie, you may choose between them.

Treat it as a tactical tool rather than a restriction. Because your opponent is obliged to play the longest capture, offering a piece can force a specific reply — you are effectively choosing their move for them, several moves in advance.

What happens if a man reaches the back row while capturing?

It keeps capturing as a man, and is only crowned if the move ends there. It does not stop, become a king, and continue with a king's powers mid-sequence.

This is the rule most implementations get wrong, and it matters: a man that passes through the back row and carries on cannot suddenly reach a distant piece the way a king could. Turkish federation tournament rules are explicit about it, and the engine here promotes strictly on where a move ends.

How do you win at Turkish draughts?

You win when your opponent has no legal move on their turn — either because you have captured all their pieces, or because every piece they have left is blocked. The second case is a real way to win rather than a technicality, especially in the endgame, and it is worth watching for when you are behind on material.

Can a game of Turkish draughts end in a draw?

Yes. A game is drawn when the same position occurs three times, or after a long run of quiet moves with no capture and no man advancing — the shuffle that happens when neither side can make progress. Both rules are enforced automatically here, so a dead position ends rather than running forever.

Is Turkish draughts harder than regular checkers?

It is not harder to learn — the rules are, if anything, simpler than Brazilian draughts, since men only move in three directions and there is no diagonal geometry to keep track of. It is harder to play well, because rook-like kings make the endgame sharp and the maximum-capture rule punishes miscounting immediately.

There is also a measurable sense in which it is harder for a computer: with 16 pieces a side on 64 squares and kings that sweep whole lines, a position offers many more legal moves than an 8×8 diagonal game does. Our engine searches noticeably less deep here than in American checkers at the same time budget — see playing the computer.

What is Turkish draughts called in Turkey?

Simply dama, or Türk daması when it needs distinguishing from other draughts games. A piece is a taş, a crowned piece is a dama — the same word as the game itself — and a move is a hamle. We have a Turkish-language version of this page with the full rules in Turkish.

Closely related games are played across the region under other names, including Armenian draughts (tama) and Greek draughts, with small variations in the crowning and capture rules.

Can I play Turkish draughts online for free?

Yes — free in your browser with no signup, against the computer on three levels or against another person. Nothing to download and no account needed. Start a game.

Can I play other people online?

Yes. Send a friend a private invite link, challenge anyone you see in the lobby, or post an open challenge and come back when somebody has accepted it. None of the three needs an account, and the result counts towards your Elo rating.