Draughts

Lady is a strategic board game for two players. It is one of the games with perfect information. This allows playing strategies whose success is not dependent on chance.

The game is not very popular in German speaking countries, but lady is especially in Russia and the Netherlands professional sports.

Game rules

Lady is played on a square board with alternating white and black squares. In many countries, including Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the board has 8 × 8 fields. It corresponds to a checkerboard; However, the boxes of lady be labeled differently. International is played on a 10 × 10 board ( Lady 100).

As pawns serve round, flat pieces, black and white for the one for the other player. These are usually made of wood or plastic. In the 8 × 8 board, each player has 12 stones, on the 10 × 10 board 20 stones.

The game is played on the dark squares only. The stones move one square diagonally, but only forward. Enemy stones must be skipped and beaten by as long as the directly adjacent underlying field is clear by pulling on the empty square. If the target field of a crack leads to a field, from which another stone can be skipped, so the jump will continue. All skipped stones are removed from the board.

Achieved a game piece the opponent's baseline, he is transported to the lady. This is indicated by a second stone is placed on top. A lady may move arbitrarily according to the usual rules in Germany far forward or backward and jump. When skipping a stone opposing the lady must, however, put on the immediately underlying diagonal field. If they can jump from the new field of about other stones, they must do the same. So apply the jump rules for simple stones, with the additional rule that the lady also can have multiple fields forward and just jump backwards. As a lady on the field must be based after the piece, it is possible to win a playoff by two ladies against a single opponent lady. Upon reaching the opponent's base line of a tile by hitting enemy figures also done a conversion to the lady. The train ends with; it is not possible to beat with the conversion to the lady instantly more opponent's stones.

The stones are arranged so that in the first three rows (for lady 100 the first four rows ) are coated on both sides of the game board all the dark fields before the game starts. There the player with the dark stones, which are usually red or black. The game pieces can be pulled diagonally and hitting other stones.

The aim of the game is depriving the enemy of all possible moves, so to beat all opponent's checkers or block.

Variants

The official rules of checkers that apply in clubs or at tournaments, state that must always be struck, if this is possible. In contrast, an in many countries spread among unorganized players variant allows the opponent, the stone that would need to beat, from the board (so-called " blow " or "blow" ), instead of insisting that the rule-compliant train but is still running. If " blow " with or "blow" of pieces played, so there are two basic variants:

• In the event that multiple shock possibilities exist simultaneously, a train is considered performed as correctly as soon as a shock option was exercised. Thus, it no longer comes to " blow " or " bubbles ".
• The alternative way of playing stricter states that all other non- train in the perceived impact possibilities lead to the removal of the affected tiles. Of all the shock options so that only the selected striking token remains in the game.

There are also many different regional styles of play:

Checkers, Draughts

In many English-speaking countries (UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand), the Queen can only draw one square (English Draughts, Checkers in the U.S. ). With ladies who are allowed to move only one square, a playoff by two ladies against one is always won ( with one exception ) in favor of the two ladies.

In April 2007, has been proved by Jonathan Schaeffer and his staff group that lady in the already mentioned variant Checkers always ends in a draw with perfect play. For this purpose, let the computer game positions with 10 gems in less analyze together with the 19 most relevant game openings on the board, where they had to investigate about 39 trillion positions. Thus it was not necessary to compute all about 5.1020 positions, and yet they could not find a game strategy in which you can never lose.

International Checkers

This variant has the widest distribution. In Germany it is called Lady 100 because it is played on a 10 × 10 board. Ladies may in any pull her far and jump and jump simple stones backwards, but do not pull. In addition, on each train, in which can be beaten, the largest possible number of enemy stones are beaten, with no difference between men and simple stones is made. This variant is played by clubs in over 60 countries, especially in continental Western Europe (France, Benelux), the successor states of the Soviet Union and in many African, but also American and Asian countries that were once French or Dutch colonies. In this variant, at least three lady needs, but usually four ladies to win against a single opponent lady.

In French-speaking parts of Canada, especially in Quebec, according to the above rules lady is played on a 12 × 12 board ( "Canadian Draughts "). An anecdote, a man learned the game in Europe know. Full of enthusiasm, he wanted to teach his countrymen, but was himself whether the number fields insecure. He remembered wrong and explained the game with the 12 × 12 board. However, there is this game also in the Dominican Republic and Sri Lanka.

Other regional forms

In Turkey, in drafts not diagonal, but vertically forward or horizontally sideways moved or captured; both black and white fields are thus used. Women may orthogonal pull in all directions and hit. Hitting is forced. With a tensile impact the greatest number must be beaten, with no distinction made between opposing ladies and simple stones. In the 8 × 8 board are occupied with 8 stones to start the second and third row. In this game, two ladies win against a single opponent lady. Other oriental lady -like as the Turkish lady.

In the former Soviet Union, Poland and the Netherlands variants were invented in the 20th century, which will be played on a built up of regular hexagons board. The best known in the West hexagonal lady variant is derived from the Dutch game designer Christian Freeling and is called HexDame.

Basic Features

The variation possibilities for the lady variants except the Turkish lady are:

• The size of the board: 8 x 8
• 10 × 10
• 12 × 12

• Any number of opponent's stones.
• The lady must pull directly behind the beaten stone.
• The queen moves behind any empty space behind the single piece she has.
• Just an opposing piece.

• Any number of opponent's stones, but only forward.
• Any number of opponent's stones, forward or backward.
• Just an opposing piece, but only forward.
• Just an opposing piece, forward or backward.

• It must be beaten as much opposing pieces.
• If a lady can be beaten, which takes precedence over the beating of a simple stone.
• If a lady can beat, has the priority before striking with a simple stone.
• ( and many other possibilities ).

• One step diagonally forward or backward.
• Any number of steps forward or backward.

• One step diagonally forward ( in all versions the same).

Tournament Rules

In tournament play usually the first three trains from a series of predetermined openings will be drawn (Three -Move Restriction), and both players play this opening once as white and once as black players. In these tournaments lady is played on 64 fields according to the Anglo-Saxon rules. This rule was introduced in order to reduce the many tied games that arise from certain openings.

In the "International Draughts " do not exist similar rules.

Shock Dame

For the Ladies variant blow lady, the rules are the same as in checkers, but the game have a different goal: As with the Raiders Chess wins, the player who was the first to sacrifice all the bricks. This variant is also known as Lady from.

Baschni

More complex game interesting possibilities arise in this variant of the Russian lady; Baschni called towers. The game is also known as Stolbowje Schaschki - turrets lady. Should a stone a stone, it will not be removed from the game, but stocky the beating stone, with a tower arises. Stones can both forward and backward beating. If a tower hit, only the top stone of the tower is taken and sets the beating or stone tower. Achieved an ordinary stone at the top of a tower the opponent's home row, this stone is transported to the lady. This tower may be moved according to the rules of a lady. If the opponent's back rank achieved by hitting a lady or resulting tower lady may need to continue beating. By skillful combination of impact constraints surprising game turns are possible by changing tower.

Laska

Laska is played on a board with 25 fields in seven rows. The rows have alternating four and three fields. Each party has eleven pieces. The rules are Baschni.

History

Checkers has its origin probably in the 10th or 11th century in southern France; the board was taken over by then already known chess. The rules come from Alquerque (also known as Quirkat known).

Originally the stones were ferses, named after the lady in chess. At that time the lady could draw only one field. The innovation was skipping and taking away opposing pieces taken from Alquerque. The game was at that time called Fierges.

Another similarity with the chess game was formerly that of the lady player is not required to exploit every opportunity afforded to him to hit by enemy stones. 1535 This Beat was made compulsory. Missed a player the opportunity to do so, his character as a punishment from the board was " blown ", or taken away. This new form is called " Jeu Force " older " Jeu Plaisant ". The current standard version is Jeu Force.

Philip Mouskats Chronique ( 1243 ) refers to "kings", which is possibly consuming a conversion on the baseline.

The renaming of the " ferses " in chess in "Lady " led to a parallel renaming of the game in " Dames ".

Computer Lady

The first lady's program for the Anglo-Saxon lady play was written in 1952 by Arthur L. Samuel, a researcher at IBM, and was one of the first computer game programs at all. By 1962 Samuel improved the program several times. A characteristic feature was the ability of the program to adapt the strategy based on the play of the opponent. Against strong human players, this program was still a chance; yet it is an important milestone in the development of artificial intelligence.

The strongest Dame program ( also Anglo-Saxon lady ) is Chinook, which was written by a group led by Jonathan Schaeffer. Marion Tinsley, world champion from 1955-1962 and 1975-1991, the program defeated in 1992; because of health problems he had in 1994 to abandon a game. Chinook is not started after winning the man-machine title. The enormous skill level of today's programs is especially due to the fact that today 10 -stone finals are already available in a huge database. One of the world's most powerful programs is Cake Manchester, a freeware engine for the Checkerboard program. In the site you will find games and other strong engines.

Today on PCs running programs can not lose against human opponents actually. However, today there are only a few great masters in drafts, so comparisons are difficult with the skill level of the 1980s and 1990s. Also, due to the absolute superiority of the computer in drafts there are few young players. Cake Manchester took part in Las Vegas at the computer Dame World Cup 2002. It won there nemesis KingsRow and Cake.

In the July 2007 issue of Science Schaeffer and co-workers showed how they have solved the checkers with Chinook. A perfect match for both players leads to a draw.