Play Czech Draughts Online
Dama with forward-only men, flying kings and king-capture priorityEnjoy a free, no-signup game of Czech Draughts right in your browser. Dama with forward-only men, flying kings and king-capture priority Face a computer opponent tuned to three strengths - Easy, Medium and Hard - or invite a friend to a live game on a shared board. Nothing to install, nothing to pay: just open the board and start moving.
Czech belongs to the Slavic branch of the draughts family and is played on a 8×8 board with 12 per side. A crisp Central European game where the king must capture over a man. Below the board you will find the full rules, a step-by-step how-to, strategy tips and answers to the questions players ask most.
About Czech Draughts
Czech Draughts, known as dama, is the clean and fast eight by eight game popular across the Czech Republic and Central Europe. Each side starts with twelve men that move and capture only in the forward diagonal, while kings are flying, sliding freely along open diagonals and choosing their landing square after a jump. The restrained men and long-range kings give the game a brisk, decisive feel. Capturing is mandatory, but there is no maximum-capture rule to worry about, so you may generally take any available jump. One elegant exception governs priority: if both a man and a king are able to capture, the king must be the one to do it. This king-priority rule, combined with forward-only men and flying kings, makes Czech draughts feel tidy and sharp, a favorite for quick, tactical contests that reward accurate calculation over brute force.
Czech Draughts at a glance
| Goal | Capture or block all enemy pieces, respecting the king-priority rule. |
|---|---|
| Board | 8×8 |
| Pieces | 12 per side |
| Kings | Flying (long-range) |
| Capturing | Forced; men forward only; king priority |
| Difficulty | Clean & quick |
| Family | Slavic checkers |
| Good to know | A crisp Central European game where the king must capture over a man. |
How to play Czech Draughts
Set up the board
Place your twelve men on the dark squares of the three rows nearest you, leaving the two central rows open. The arrangement is the familiar checkers setup, but Czech rules give it a crisp character of its own.
Moving your men
Men move one square diagonally forward to an empty square, and they capture only forward. Backward movement and backward captures are reserved for kings, so promotion is a key goal.
Capturing pieces
Jump an adjacent enemy piece forward into the empty square beyond. Captures are compulsory with no maximum rule, but if both a man and a king can capture, you must make the capture with the king.
Crowning kings
A man finishing on the far row becomes a flying king. The king then glides any distance along an open diagonal and can capture a distant piece, landing on any free square past it.
Winning the game
You win by capturing all enemy pieces or by leaving your opponent with no legal move. Flying kings and the king-priority rule keep the games fast and often sharply decisive.
The story of Czech Draughts
Draughts spread into Central Europe as part of the broad diffusion of the game across the continent, and Czech players developed their own tidy version on the 64-square board. They kept men to forward movement and captures while granting kings the powerful flying range.
The distinctive touch was the king-priority rule, requiring a king to make a capture when both a man and a king could, without adopting the full maximum rule of the Spanish and international games. This gave Czech dama a clean, quick character of its own.
Today Czech Draughts is played throughout the Czech Republic and neighboring countries, supported by clubs and online communities. It sits comfortably among the Slavic draughts traditions while remaining clearly distinguishable from the Russian game.
Czech strategy: how to win more games
- Rush to promote a flying king, since forward-only enemy men struggle against a long-range king.
- Defend your back rank with structure, because men cannot capture backward.
- Use the king-priority rule to divert an enemy king away from where it is needed.
- Keep men in supporting groups to avoid clean single-jump losses.
- Fight for the long diagonal to give your future king maximum reach.
- Simplify into a flying-king ending when ahead, then convert by technique.
Advanced Czech tactics
- Exploit king priority to compel an enemy king to capture and vacate a critical square.
- Calculate flying-king combinations that finish with a decisive shot on the small board.
- Master the king versus king-and-man ending common to Central European play.
- Set breakthrough sacrifices that force a promoting recapture and win the first king.
- Use waiting moves to leave your opponent only a losing mandatory capture.
- Blockade forward-only enemy men against the edge where they cannot escape.
- Time exchanges so the king-priority rule pulls your opponent into a losing line.
Common mistakes to avoid in Czech
- Forgetting king-priority - which forces you to jump with the king when both a king and a man can capture, so instead always check whether a king is obliged before moving a man.
- Overlooking a flying king's reach across an open diagonal - which lets it capture from far off, so instead watch the long lines even when the king looks distant and harmless.
- Capturing with a man while a king was obliged to take - which is an illegal move here, so instead resolve the king-priority rule first, then choose among the legal captures.
- Guarding only against forward jumps - which forgets men capture forward only but kings fly both ways, so instead defend rear squares against the enemy king, not the enemy men.
Czech variations and related rule sets
Czech Draughts FAQ
What is Czech dama?
Dama is the Czech name for draughts, and Czech Draughts is its standard form on an eight by eight board with forward-only men and flying kings.
Do men capture backward in Czech Draughts?
No. Czech men move and capture only forward. Backward captures belong exclusively to the flying kings.
Are Czech kings flying?
Yes. A king slides any number of empty squares along a diagonal and can jump a distant piece, landing on any free square beyond, giving it long range and power.
Is there a maximum-capture rule?
No. Czech Draughts does not require you to take the largest capture. You must capture when you can, but you may usually choose any available jump.
What is the king-priority rule?
If both a man and a king are able to capture on your turn, you must make the capture with the king. This is the distinctive Czech rule that shapes many positions.
How is Czech different from Russian Draughts?
Russian men capture backward and use the turn-of-the-king promotion, while Czech men capture forward only and apply king-capture priority. The two Slavic games feel quite distinct.
How is Czech different from Spanish Draughts?
Both have forward-only men and flying kings, but Spanish enforces a maximum-capture rule while Czech instead uses king priority and allows any capture otherwise.
How many pieces start the game?
Twelve men per side on the dark squares of the first three rows, the usual eight by eight starting position.
Why is the game considered fast?
The lack of a maximum rule and the crisp king-priority rule keep decisions clean, so games tend to move quickly toward sharp, decisive positions.
Can men capture kings?
Yes. Czech men may capture kings. There is no Italian-style prohibition; the only special constraint is that a king must capture when it and a man both can.
Does the king-priority rule apply mid-sequence?
The priority determines which piece begins the capture. Once a king starts a capturing sequence, it continues jumping as long as further captures are available to it.
Where is Czech Draughts popular?
It is the traditional form in the Czech Republic and enjoys a following across Central Europe, played both in clubs and online.
Keep learning
- How flying kings work
- How to win at checkers
- Full rules for every checkers variant
- The complete checkers and draughts glossary
Last updated .