Turkish draughts
Turkish draughts - Play Online
If you've ever played regular checkers and thought "this diagonal-only stuff is limiting," here's your answer. Turkish draughts throws out the classic rulebook and lets you move horizontally and vertically instead. Your goal? Wipe out all 16 of your opponent's pieces or trap them so they can't move. It's a pure brain-training battle that works solo against AI, locally with a friend, or online against real players. No flashy graphics, just pure strategic warfare on an 8x8 board.
Key Features
- Three Play Modes: Fight AI, pass-and-play on one device, or jump into multiplayer matches online.
- Spectator Mode: Watch other players duke it out and even suggest moves from the sidelines.
- Unique Movement Rules: Pieces move forward, left, and right—no diagonal nonsense like traditional checkers.
- Strategic Captures: When you can capture, you must capture. Queens can slide across multiple empty squares to dominate the board.
How to Play Turkish draughts
The rules are simple to learn, but winning requires serious planning. White moves first, and from there it's a tactical slugfest.
Master the Movement Grid
You move your regular checkers one square at a time—forward, left, or right. No backward retreats for basic pieces. Queens, though? They cruise any number of empty squares in all four cardinal directions. Click a piece to see your legal moves highlighted, then tap where you want to go. The turn timer keeps things moving, so don't overthink it.
Execute Mandatory Captures
Here's the kicker: if you can capture an opponent's piece, you have to do it. No skipping attacks to save a defensive position. Regular checkers grab adjacent enemies in front or to the sides. Queens can leap across empty spaces to snatch pieces from a distance, as long as there's a landing spot. Captured pieces vanish immediately during multi-jump combos, which changes the board mid-turn.
Promote and Dominate
Push a regular checker to the eighth row and it crowns into a queen at the end of your move. From there, you've got a powerhouse that controls entire rows and columns. Win by eliminating all enemy pieces, blocking them completely, or forcing a position where your multiple checkers beat their lone survivor. The game knows when it's over and calls it automatically.
Who is Turkish draughts for?
Perfect for anyone who likes traditional board games but wants a twist on the classic formula. If you enjoy chess or checkers and have 5-10 minutes to spare, this hits that mental exercise sweet spot. It's not twitchy or stressful—just pure turn-based thinking. Great for older players who prefer proven rulesets over chaotic modern mechanics, and solid for younger folks learning strategic patience.
The Gameplay Vibe
This is super chill and methodical. No explosions, no music overload—just a clean board and the quiet satisfaction of a clever capture chain. The visuals are basic 2D with flat colors and simple piece designs. It honestly looks like it was built for a browser game portal from 2010, but that's not necessarily bad. The focus stays on the board, not fancy animations. The red notification dots on the UI buttons are a bit pushy, constantly trying to get you into multiplayer or to check leaderboards, but you can ignore them if you just want a quiet AI match.
Technical Check: Saves & Performance
The game saves your progress automatically through browser cache, so your ongoing matches and stats stick around as long as you don't wipe your browsing data. Performance-wise, this runs on a potato. The low-fi graphics and simple animations mean it'll work on old desktops, budget laptops, and pretty much any phone from the last decade. No lag, no stuttering—just instant load times and smooth piece movement.
Quick Verdict: Pros & Cons
A solid, no-nonsense digital version of a classic variant that respects your time and intelligence.
- ✅ Pro: The horizontal/vertical movement creates totally different strategies than regular checkers.
- ✅ Pro: Multiple play modes mean you're never stuck waiting for an opponent.
- ❌ Con: The UI feels cluttered with notification badges and social icons that distract from the minimalist board game vibe.
Controls
Responsive and straightforward. Click or tap feels instant, and the highlighted move indicators prevent misclicks.
- Desktop: Mouse click to select pieces and destination squares. All menus are clickable icons around the board.
- Mobile: Tap to select, tap again to move. The board scales perfectly to phone screens without cramped hitboxes.
Release Date & Developer
Developed by kirlanik and released on January 31, 2025. It's a straightforward implementation focused on delivering the classic Turkish draughts ruleset without unnecessary fluff.
