Draught’s universal gameplay makes it a classical board game enjoyed worldwide. Anyone can learn to play it in a few sessions. Draughts come in variation, ranging from rules to board size and number of game pieces.
The variation that Draughts took from Alquerque is the removal of the forward movement. Its origins came from the Middle Eastern board game Alquerque or Qirkat. When a “men” reaches the opposite side of the board, it gets promoted into a stronger piece called queen or dama. Players attempt to capture all enemy pieces by jumping over them. The two-player game involves moving black or white game pieces in a diagonal manner. Some of the other regional names of draughts are dame, dames, damas, or dum. Its etymology came from the term “to draw or move”.
Americans call it checkers while Britsh English call it draughts. The only difference is their regional name.
