Play Italian Draughts Online
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Italian belongs to the Standard branch of the draughts family and is played on a 8×8 board with 12 per side. A man may never capture a king, a rule found in almost no other variant. 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 Italian Draughts
Italian Draughts, or Dama Italiana, is the elegant national game of Italy, played on an eight by eight board with twelve men a side. Its movement is conservative: men slide and jump only forward, and kings are non-flying, stepping a single square in any diagonal. What sets it apart is a suite of strict capture-priority rules and one striking prohibition - a man may never capture a king. When several captures are possible you must obey a precise hierarchy. You have to take the maximum number of pieces, you must use a king to capture whenever a king can, and among equal-length lines you must take the one seizing the greater number of kings. These layered rules reward careful, calculated play and give the Italian game a reputation for subtlety and precision that its devoted following prizes above raw tactical chaos.
Italian Draughts at a glance
| Goal | Capture or immobilize all enemy pieces under strict Italian capture priority. |
|---|---|
| Board | 8×8 |
| Pieces | 12 per side |
| Kings | Non-flying (one square) |
| Capturing | Forced; men forward only; strict priority |
| Difficulty | Precise & subtle |
| Family | Standard checkers |
| Good to know | A man may never capture a king, a rule found in almost no other variant. |
How to play Italian Draughts
Set up the board
Arrange your twelve men on the dark squares of the three rows nearest you. Italian boards are traditionally oriented with a light square at each player's near right, but the piece placement follows the usual pattern.
Moving your men
Men move one square diagonally forward to an empty square. They cannot move sideways or backward, so every advance is a commitment, and backward defense must come from your non-flying kings.
Capturing pieces
Men jump forward only, and crucially a man may never jump a king. Captures are mandatory and follow a strict priority: take the maximum pieces, prefer capturing with a king, and among ties take the most kings.
Crowning kings
A man reaching the far row is crowned into a non-flying king that steps and jumps one square in any diagonal. Because kings cannot be taken by men, a crowned piece enjoys a special measure of safety.
Winning the game
You win by capturing all enemy pieces or leaving your opponent no legal move. The capture-priority rules mean many games are decided by forcing your opponent into a compulsory but ruinous sequence.
The story of Italian Draughts
Draughts reached Italy through the same Mediterranean currents that carried Alquerque and its descendants across southern Europe. Italian players adopted the 64-square board and, over time, codified a distinctive ruleset that emphasized strict capture priorities and the protection of kings.
The rule that a man may never capture a king, together with the requirement to capture the maximum number of pieces and to prefer kings, gave Dama Italiana its exacting character. A national tradition of clubs and published analysis grew around these subtle rules.
Today Italian Draughts is governed by a national federation and played in tournaments across Italy, with pockets of interest abroad. Its careful, priority-driven style stands as a proud alternative to the freer tactics of the Russian and international games.
Italian strategy: how to win more games
- Use the men-cannot-take-kings rule to advance a king safely through enemy men.
- Since men only jump forward, guard your back squares with well-placed kings.
- Aim to crown first, as an untouchable king pressures the whole enemy camp.
- Set positions where the opponent's forced maximum capture opens your winning reply.
- Advance men in supported groups so no single jump wins material cleanly.
- Count kings as well as pieces, because tie-breaking priority can dictate the forced line.
Advanced Italian tactics
- Exploit the king-priority rule to compel an opponent to capture with a king and abandon a key square.
- Build immunity chains where an advancing king passes safely because men cannot touch it.
- Calculate forced maximum sequences that leave your opponent's remaining pieces fatally exposed.
- Master the one-square king endings unique to non-flying play, where opposition is everything.
- Use the most-kings tiebreak to steer a forced capture onto the line you want.
- Trap enemy men against the edge where their forward-only jumps cannot save them.
- Time exchanges so your king survives while the enemy is forced to shed material by priority.
Common mistakes to avoid in Italian
- Trying to capture a king with a man - which is illegal in Italian rules, so instead route your kings to deal with enemy kings and keep men for taking men.
- Missing the strict maximum-capture and king-priority order - which makes your move illegal, so instead take the largest capture and, when tied, the one using a king or taking more kings.
- Pushing a man next to a protected enemy king - which loses the man since it cannot jump that king back, so instead only approach kings with a king of your own.
- Forgetting that quantity of pieces outranks quantity of kings in the capture rule - which leads to the wrong forced take, so instead count men first, then apply the king tiebreak.
Italian variations and related rule sets
Italian Draughts FAQ
What makes Italian Draughts unique?
Two features stand out: a man may never capture a king, and captures follow a strict priority of most pieces, king preference and most kings. These rules make Italian play notably precise.
Can a man capture a king in Italian Draughts?
No. This is the signature rule. Only a king can capture another king, which gives crowned pieces a special durability found in almost no other variant.
Do men capture backward?
No. Italian men move and jump forward only, much like American Checkers. Backward captures are not part of the Italian game for men.
Are Italian kings flying?
No. Kings are non-flying, moving and capturing exactly one square along any diagonal. They are safe from men but limited in range.
What is the capture priority order?
You must capture the maximum number of pieces. If tied, you must capture with a king when possible, and among remaining ties you must take the line with the most kings.
Is capturing mandatory?
Yes. Whenever a legal capture exists you must make one, and you must obey the full priority hierarchy in choosing which capturing line to play.
How is the board oriented?
Traditionally the Italian board is placed with a light square in the near right corner, the mirror of the English orientation, though piece placement on the dark squares is otherwise standard.
How many pieces start the game?
Each side has twelve men on the dark squares of the first three rows, the usual eight by eight setup.
Why does the game feel so precise?
The layered capture priorities remove much of the guesswork from tactics and reward players who calculate the exact forced line, giving Italian draughts its reputation for subtlety.
Can I ignore priority if I prefer another capture?
No. Unlike free-capture variants, you must follow the priority rules exactly, and an illegal choice is not permitted even if you would rather play differently.
Does the king-immunity rule change the endgame?
Greatly. Because men cannot remove kings, a lone king can often shepherd its remaining men or hold a position that would collapse under other rulesets.
Is Italian Draughts widely played?
It is the traditional form in Italy with an established federation and tournament scene, and it has a loyal following among enthusiasts who enjoy its exacting rules.
Keep learning
- Italian draughts explained
- Is capturing mandatory?
- Full rules for every checkers variant
- The complete checkers and draughts glossary
Last updated .