Apr 3, 2025

DIY Draughts

Do-it-yourself draughts, or Dames en Kit, is a c.1890 game by Walter Sanders,


diagrams from Jeux Stratègie's page

Rules. Each player has two pieces and 20 tiles (one light and one dark set).

First phase: On each turn, each player places (a) a friendly piece on an empty same-color tile, (b) a friendly tile at the side of another already placed tile, (c) or both.

Second phase: When all pieces and tiles are placed, pieces are allowed to move to any adjacent empty tile of its color (including diagonals). 

However, in both phases pieces also have the option to capture. Pieces capture by jumping one or more consecutive enemy pieces, assuming there is an immediate empty tile of its color to end its move.

Captures are multiple, i.e., after a capture, the player may continue capturing with the same piece. And, like Checkers, captures are mandatory (if there are several options, the player can choose which). Captures are mandatory in both phases.

  • Notice that it is possible to place a tile, opening a capture option, that must be executed in that same turn. However, even if it is possible to place a tile in these conditions, players might choose not to.

Wins the player that captures or blocks all enemy pieces. If the interactions between pieces are no longer possible, wins the player with more moving pieces (blocked pieces do not count). Otherwise, the game is a draw.

Example: in this diagram, players cannot interact with each other. So, Black wins since he has two moving pieces against just one moving white piece.

The game appeared at Roger Millington's Games and Puzzles for Addicts (1979),


The game also appeared in Jeux et Stratègie #42 in 1986:

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