GIVE AND TAKE

(by Christopher Elis)

Equipment

8x8 square board; 16 white and 16 black checkers.
Initial position as in Turkish Checkers, as shown in diagram 1

Start position (diagram 1)

Play

The object is to capture or block all enemy pieces.
White moves first.
Checkers may move one square forward or to the side, never diagonally or backwards.
A checker which reaches the opponent's last row becomes a king.
A king moves any number of vacant squares orthogonally, including backwards (like rook in chess).
Checkers capture enemy pieces (checkers and kings) jumping either forward or to the side and multiple jumps are possible (provided no more one piece at a time is jumped).
There is no compulsion to capture the greatest number of enemy pieces.
However, in all cases, once a series of captures is begun a player must continue to capture if possible.
A checker which reaches the opponent's last row capturing enemy pieces not becomes king until has finished the possible captures in that row (obviously not checkers, but enemy kings).
When capturing, a king can move over any number of vacant squares to jump the piece captured and land on any vacant squares beyond the unit taken.
When capturing, a king can jump twice or more times a piece. An example in next diagram 2:

(diagram 2)
The king can capture all black pieces (checkers or kings are the same) moving e5xe8xe2xa2xh2!
Special rules:
1. A player is obliged to capture only after an enemy piece has moved into or within the capturing range of one of his pieces. For example looking from the initial position after:
a)1.c3c4, c6c5 White must capture the checker on c5;
b)1.b3b4, a6a5; 2.b4b5 Black must capture the checker on b5 with a5 or c6 checker;
c)1.b2b3, a6a5; 2.b4c4, a5b5; 3.a3a4, b5b4; 4.e3e4 now since the checker on c4 doesn't make the last move, the Black isn't forced to capture it.
Another sample in diagram 3:

(diagram 3)
If White moves h6h7, the Black king must capture this checker. But if the White moves e4e5, the Black isn't forced to capture the checker on f4 because it's not moved. If Black want capture that checker, must capture also the checker on e5, obviously.
Between two possible captures, an optional and a compulsory, a player must play the compulsory! :-)
2. When a player is reduced to only one checker, it immediality becomes a king on the square on which it stands. This rule makes this game fascinating and introduces the possibility of mesmerizing sacrificial combinations of unparalleled beauty. The first sample is a composition on 3x8 board by the inventor (diagram 4)

Black moves (diagram 3)

1.... b6a6
2.a8xa5 b7b6
3.b1xb8 a3a2
4.a1xa3 the checker on a4 now becomes king and...
4.... a4xa1xa8xc8
The second sample from a game, Elis-McCallion, White moves (diagram 5):

Christopher Elis-John Mc Callion (diagram 5)
1.d3d4 d5xd3xb3
2.h3h4 h5xh3
3.g2g3 h3xf3xf1=k
4.c2b2 b3xb1=k
now f5 becomes a king and...
5.f4xa5xa7xh7xh1xe1xa1xa4xd4xf4!

by John Mc Callion

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since 11 Gen. 1999; Last Updated: 11 Gen. 1999