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Shashki on 8x8 where a man crowns mid-jump and keeps on capturingEnjoy a free, no-signup game of Russian Draughts right in your browser. Shashki on 8x8 where a man crowns mid-jump and keeps on capturing 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.
Russian belongs to the Slavic branch of the draughts family and is played on a 8×8 board with 12 per side. Its turn-of-the-king rule lets a fresh king finish a jump the same move. 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 Russian Draughts
Russian Draughts, known locally as shashki, is the beloved eight by eight game of Russia and much of the post-Soviet world. Each side fields twelve men that advance one diagonal square forward yet capture in both directions, so raids can come from any angle. Kings are flying, sweeping long diagonals and choosing their landing square after a jump, which gives the modest board surprising tactical fireworks. Capturing is mandatory but wonderfully free, because there is no maximum-capture rule to constrain your choice of line. The signature feature is the turn of the king: a man that reaches the crowning row in the middle of a jump is promoted on the spot and immediately continues capturing as a full king within the same move. That single rule produces dazzling combinations found in no other mainstream variant.
Russian Draughts at a glance
| Goal | Capture or block all enemy pieces on the eight by eight board. |
|---|---|
| Board | 8×8 |
| Pieces | 12 per side |
| Kings | Flying (long-range) |
| Capturing | Forced; men both ways; any |
| Difficulty | Fast & sharp |
| Family | Slavic checkers |
| Good to know | Its turn-of-the-king rule lets a fresh king finish a jump the same move. |
How to play Russian Draughts
Set up the board
Position your twelve men on the dark squares of the three rows nearest you, exactly as in American Checkers. The two middle rows begin empty so both armies have space to open lines.
Moving your men
Men step one square diagonally forward to an empty dark square. They may not walk backward, but keep in mind they can still capture backward, so no square is truly safe from a man behind it.
Capturing pieces
Jump an adjacent enemy piece in any diagonal direction, forward or backward, into the empty square beyond. Captures are compulsory, but with no maximum rule you may freely pick which available jump to begin.
Crowning kings
If a man reaches the back row during a jump it is crowned instantly and, thanks to the turn of the king, continues the very same capturing sequence as a flying king. Crowning only at the end of a move gives an ordinary king.
Winning the game
You win by capturing every enemy piece or leaving your opponent with no legal move. Because kings fly and men crown mid-jump, single combinations often sweep the board clean in one dramatic turn.
The story of Russian Draughts
Draughts took root in Russia during the reign of Peter the Great, who was known to enjoy the game and to keep boards at his court gatherings. The eight by eight form called shashki grew steadily in popularity and by the nineteenth century had become a common pastime across the empire.
Russian players refined a distinctive ruleset featuring flying kings, backward captures for men and the celebrated turn-of-the-king promotion. A strong analytical culture emerged, producing composed combinations and endgame studies that are prized for their elegance and surprise.
In the Soviet era shashki was organized as a serious competitive sport with national championships and a deep bench of masters. It remains hugely popular today throughout the former Soviet space and among diaspora communities, played both over the board and across countless online arenas.
Russian strategy: how to win more games
- Exploit backward captures to defend key squares without committing a man forward.
- Since any capture is legal, choose the jump that leaves you best placed rather than the largest.
- Race to promote, as a flying king on an open diagonal dominates the small board.
- Set capture traps that lure an enemy piece onto a square where your forced jump wins material.
- Keep your pieces mobile; a cramped shashki position collapses quickly to a sharp shot.
- Watch both diagonals at once, since the backward-capture rule doubles the ways you can be hit.
Advanced Russian tactics
- Calculate turn-of-the-king combinations where a promoting man loops back to sweep multiple pieces.
- Master the flying-king net that traps a lone enemy king against the edge.
- Use quiet moves to hand your opponent a forced but losing capture, a classic shashki motif.
- Study the standard king versus king-and-man endings that decide many equal games.
- Prepare sacrificial breakthroughs on the flank that promote a man into a winning king.
- Time exchanges to reach a favorable opposition before the board simplifies.
- Recognize when giving three men wins four through a hidden mid-jump promotion.
Common mistakes to avoid in Russian
- Forgetting a man crowns the instant it reaches the last row mid-jump - which lets it keep capturing as a king in the same turn, so instead trace the full jump including the new king moves.
- Only checking forward captures - which misses that men also jump backward here, so instead look behind your men for takes before deciding the position is quiet.
- Trading pieces down without a plan - which drops you into a lost king endgame a piece short, so instead keep material even until you hold the stronger king count.
- Parking a fresh king on a crowded diagonal - which lets flying kings trap it in a swap, so instead give the king an open line where its long range actually pays off.
Russian variations and related rule sets
Russian Draughts FAQ
What is shashki?
Shashki is the Russian name for draughts, and Russian Draughts is its most widespread form. It is played on an eight by eight board with twelve pieces per side.
What is the turn of the king?
It is the rule that a man reaching the crowning row during a jump is promoted at once and continues capturing as a flying king in the same move. This creates combinations unique to the variant.
Can men capture backward?
Yes. Men move only forward but may jump in any diagonal direction, so backward captures are fully legal and are a core part of Russian tactics.
Is there a maximum-capture rule?
No. Capturing is mandatory whenever a jump exists, but you may choose any available capturing line regardless of how many pieces each takes.
How do kings move?
Kings are flying. They glide any number of empty squares along a diagonal and, when jumping, can leap a distant piece and land on any free square beyond it.
How is Russian different from American Checkers?
The board and starting setup are identical, but Russian men capture backward, kings fly, and the turn-of-the-king rule applies. These changes make Russian play far more tactical.
Does crowning always continue the jump?
Only when the promotion happens in the middle of a capture. If a man simply finishes its move on the back row without further jumps available, it becomes a king and the turn ends.
How many pieces start on the board?
Each player begins with twelve men on the dark squares of their first three rows, the same layout used in standard eight by eight checkers.
Can I choose a smaller capture over a larger one?
Yes. Since there is no majority rule, you may take the shorter jump if it suits your plan, as long as you make some legal capture when one is available.
What makes shashki combinations special?
The mix of backward captures, flying kings and mid-jump promotion means a single move can zigzag across the whole board, capturing many pieces in one spectacular sweep.
Is Russian Draughts popular?
Very. It is one of the most played draughts variants in the world, with strong followings across Russia, Ukraine, Israel and the wider region, and its own championship structure.
How does a game usually end?
Games often end abruptly when one side springs a forcing combination, or they grind into a king ending where precise cornering decides the winner.
Keep learning
- Russian draughts (shashki) explained
- How flying kings work
- Full rules for every checkers variant
- The complete checkers and draughts glossary
Last updated .