Chapter XIII: Draughts

BY THE LATE CAPTAIN CRAWLEY.

I. ALL ABOUT THE GAME.

It has been said by one who has a right to express an opinion on the subject (Mr. Wylie, of Fife, the greatest player and analyst in Scotland) that Draughts is a more intricate and ingenious game than its proud rival, Chess, of higher antiquity and of more intellectual scope. So much so, that in a hundred years a man could not exhaust its varieties. Edgar Allan Poe, the author of _The Raven_, expresses a like opinion: ‘The higher powers of the reflective intellect are more decidedly tasked by the unostentatious game of Draughts, or chequers, than by all the elaborate frivolities of Chess.’

Without venturing to discriminate between the merits and claims of the two games--both of which I love--I purpose attempting to show my readers some of the prominent features of the ancient and honourable game of Draughts.

You are all, doubtless, acquainted with the form of the draught-board and men; with the fact that the game is played by two persons on a board of sixty-four squares, with twenty-four men, twelve of one colour and twelve of another. At starting, the men occupy the three rows of squares on opposite sides of the board. The men may be placed on either colour, but for convenience of notation it is usual to select the white squares. The moves of all the men are alike--diagonal from square to square, in an upward direction from the player. They _take_ by passing over the captured man into a vacant square beyond. One, two, or more men can be taken by the same move, always providing that there is a vacant square to pass into at each jump. When a man has arrived at either of the four squares on the opposite side of the board he is crowned, and becomes a King. The crowning is a simple ceremony--merely placing one draughtman, of the same colour, on the top of the other. The kings have the power of moving forward and backward, one square at a time, diagonally. The _object_ of the game is to capture all your opponent’s men, or so to block them in that they cannot move. The player who first accomplishes one of these ends wins the game.

One or two rules are absolute. The offered man must be taken, when the player says ‘Take,’ and a man touched must, if it can, be moved.

In placing the board for the game, the double corners must be at the right-hand of the player, which brings us at once to the

NOTATION OF DRAUGHTS

--the method by which the moves of a game or problem are recorded. It is not necessary to show a diagram of the Numbered Board if you remember the order of the figures. The first white square on the left hand, uppermost, is 1, and the rest go from left to right, horizontally, till we arrive at the last white square on the right, 32. In recording the moves of a game we say 11 to 15, 24 to 19, and so on. A very little practice will make you sufficiently familiar with this easy system of notation, and soon enable you to play a game by memory without the board.

To show you the nature of a Problem, and the way to record its solution, I will append a diagram.

The difficulty here is the first move. That discovered, all the others follow as a matter of course. This is the solution:--

WHITE. BLACK.
10 to 6 1 2 to 9
18 to 14 2 9 to 18
15 to 22 3 13 to 17
22 to 13 4 29 to 25
13 to 17 5 25 to 30
17 to 22 6 30 to 25
22 to 29 7 4 to 8
11 to 4 8

by which you will see that Black’s moves are all forced, and White wins the game.

Draughts is played in three ways: the Winning (and most usual) game, the Losing, and the Polish game. The last, not much practised in this country, is played on a larger board, and the men take backwards or forwards.

THE RULES.

Draughts, as played in Great Britain and in all English-speaking countries, is governed by a few simple and easily-understood Rules, as follows:--

1. The board is to be placed with the double corner to the right hand of the player.

2. The choice of colour is determined by lot. After the first game the men are commonly changed.

3. Black has invariably the first move.

4. A man touched, except for the purpose of adjusting it, must be moved if there be an open square into which it can be moved.

5. A man moved over the angle of a square must, if it can, be moved to that square.

6. A man _en prise_ must be taken; or if it be left untaken by accident, it may be ‘huffed’--that is, taken off the board by the adversary. The ‘huff’ is not a move, but the player insisting on it, huffs and moves.

7. Five minutes is the limit of time for considering a move; when a piece is _en prise_, one minute only is allowed. Penalty: loss of the game.

8. A false move must be replaced, and a legal move made.

9. A wrong man removed from the board can only be replaced by consent of the adversary.

10. When two kings only remain on the board, the game must be won in twenty moves on either side, or abandoned as drawn.

11. With three or more kings, or men, to two, the player with the weaker force may insist on the game being won within forty moves on each side, or be drawn. In each of these cases notice must be given by the player that he will count the moves.

12. When two or more men are taken at one _coup_, no man captured must be taken from the board till the combined move is completed.

13. A man moved up to the last row of squares on the other side must be immediately crowned; but the king cannot play till a move has been made on the other side.

BYE-LAWS.--No pointing over the board or obstruction to the adversary is allowed.--Matches, unless otherwise agreed, consist of an equal number of games.--All disputes to be decided by an umpire or other disinterested player.--Neither player is allowed, without the consent of his opponent, to leave the room during the progress of a game.--Any breach of the rules involves the loss of the game.

Above all, _keep your temper!_

PROBLEM I.

TWO KINGS TO ONE.

A common practice with young players is to give man for man; but this is only advantageous when you are a piece ahead, and even then it is sometimes found difficult to win within the twenty moves allowed. There is, however, no secret in the matter. The player with two kings can always force a win if he knows how to set about it. From any part of the board he can, in about eight or nine moves, drive the single king into the double corner, and when he is there he wins in eight moves, thus:--

BLACK. WHITE.
10 to 6 5 to 1
14 to 10 1 to 5
6 to 1 3 to 9
1 to 5 9 to 13

It is at this point the tyro generally makes a mistake. Instead of moving away, he presses on his adversary, and gives him a chance of escape. He must move into square 15, not into 14:--

10 to 15 13 to 17
15 to 18

Now whether White move into 13 or 21, he is equally pinned by the Black at 22.

Of course a like series of moves in the other double corner produces a like result.

In the above, and all the other diagrams, the Black men occupy the upper half of the board.

To show, however, the mischief of unscientific play, we will suppose the kings to have got into the following position, when Black, with the move, can do no more than effect a drawn game:--

Here Black must give away a man. He must go to either square 17, 25, or 26. Let us suppose he moves to 26, White takes, and goes into square 31. Now, if Black go to 25 instead of 17, he loses the game in two moves. White moves to 26, and pins him on 22, in either the three squares to which he is compelled to go.

TWO KINGS TO TWO.

In ordinary circumstances, two kings to two must be a draw. Neither player can force the other out of the double line. Suppose, however, you can get the pieces into this position:--

Black, with the move, wins by playing a king from 26 to 23, and taking two for one. Beware, in the position shown, that you do not move backward instead of forward. Should you do so, you may perhaps get into some such fix as this:--

White must, moreover, be careful not to get his men into a line with a square between into which Black can move, technically known as ‘The Breeches.’

This is a trap into which young players are very apt to fall. Beware of it. Had White the move, he, of course, could easily win, either by fixing the Black king in a side square, or by the double-corner moves already shown.

THREE KINGS TO TWO.

When you are left with three kings to two, you must effect an exchange, or the game may be prolonged indefinitely. It is sometimes rather difficult to force an exchange, but it is not impossible if you go the right way to work. The possessor of the two kings commonly gets one in each double corner. The mode of attack in this case is to get your three kings into a line, so as to enable you to give king for king. However hard the other player tries he must eventually succumb. Take a common case. Place the kings on the board as in the diagram, the White on 32 and 5, the Black on 10, 18, and 19:--

If Black play he moves into 6 or 24. White has the choice of two moves only, either of the double corners.

BLACK. WHITE.
19 to 24 5 to 1
18 to 15 1 to 5
10 to 6

Now, whether White move from 5 to 1 or from 32 to 28, he must submit to an exchange, for Black backs up his king, takes one for one, and then wins in the usual way.

Suppose White has the move. He can only go into squares 1 or 32. Say he moves into 32; Black has only to go from 18 to 15, and what has his adversary left? Nothing but to submit to an exchange at the next move, after which the rest is easy, as already shown with two kings to one.

FOUR KINGS TO THREE.

As a rule the player with the superior force must win, but in some positions it is very difficult to force an exchange. Take this:--

White, with the move, has but one square, 28, into which he can move. Black, with the move, would of course win by going into the same square, and soon compel an exchange. Suppose White move--

WHITE. BLACK.
32 to 28 24 to 20
28 to 32 23 to 19
31 to 27 22 to 18
27 to 31

If he play 27 to 23 his adversary takes from 18 to 27, and leaves himself after the exchanges with two kings to one. White prolongs the struggle by moving from 27 to 31, to which Black replies by playing

19 to 24
32 to 27 24 to 28
27 to 32 18 to 23
31 to 27 23 to 26
30 to 23 28 to 24
27 to 31 24 to 27
31 to 24 20 to 18,

which leaves Black with two kings to one, when he wins in ten or twelve moves.

This last is an instructive position, as it shows how the greater force must conquer. Generally the same result happens in other and more vastly important contests. The game of Draughts, like the game of war, can only be successfully played by an intimate union of strategy and might.

THE MOVE.

If each player had equal skill, and each made the proper move, then the player who took the first move would win. This sentence sounds like a truism, but it is open to argument. Throughout every game it is important to know which of the two players ‘has the move’--that is, the power to fix his adversary man for man on every available square. The first moves of a game do not directly affect its final result, but when the men have become fewer and fewer, it is of the greatest consequence to know on which side lies the forcing power. To make this plain, place a white man on square 4, the top right-hand corner, and a black man on square 30, the second from the left in the lowermost row of squares. Black, having to play, moves from 30 to 26, and do what he may, White must be stopped at square 19. Try it. White, having to play first, cannot, on the contrary, prevent his opponent from making a king. This simply shows the theory of Having the Move.

To discover whether you Have the Move, several plans are at your service. The easiest is this: Count one for each man of both colours which stand on columns having a white square at the foot. If it is your turn, and the total of the addition be odd, you Have the Move; if it is your opponent’s turn to play, the move is with him.

Place the men as in the following diagram, and you will soon find that either colour moving first has the move, and therefore ought to win.

_Another Plan_, by some considered more certain, is this:--

If you desire to know if any one of your men has the move of any man on the other side, examine the position of both. If there is a black square on the right angle under his man you Have the Move. For instance, you have a black man on 30, and white has a man on 3. The right angle is the black square between 31 and 32. With your man on square 29 or 31 the right angle would be found on the black squares on one or other side of the straight line below the white man, and he, therefore, would Have the Move. The value of this plan is that it holds good with any number of men.

_A Third Plan._--Count the men and the squares. If the men are even and the squares are odd, or if the squares are even and the men odd, _you_ Have the Move. With even men and even squares, and odd men and odd squares, the move is on the other side.

To apply this theory. When you have the move do _not_ exchange, if you can avoid it, or you may lose the move. For example, place the men thus:

When all the men, both Black and White, on the lettered column (_a_, _b_, _c_, _d_,) are added up, the total is _odd_, and the side having to play Has the Move. If no men are on the lettered squares, then take the figured squares, 1, 2, 3, 4; but do _not_ combine the two. Apply the theory to the above position. We find that there being 9, an odd number of men, on the lettered columns, White Has the Move, and having it, would win:

WHITE. BLACK.
28 to 24 --1-- 8 to 12
30 to 26 --2-- 2 to 6
24 to 19 --3-- 6 to 10
21 to 17 --4-- 9 to 13
26 to 22 --5-- 1 to 6
32 to 28 --6-- 6 to 9
28 to 24 --7--

What, now, can Black do but play, and lose a man and the game? He has but two squares, 15 and 11, open to him. His defeat is decisive and complete.

TO REGAIN THE MOVE.

Change man for man till only one capturing piece remains on the board. Suppose Black had men on squares 12 and 15, and White had men on 24 and 28. What should White do? Nothing more simple. He plays from 24 to 19. Black must take the offered piece and be taken, when his remaining man on 12 is fixed by the White on square 19.

A further example. Place the men thus:--

Here it would appear that Black must win. But White, playing first, forces a win.

WHITE. BLACK.
32 to 28 -- 1-- 25 to 22
28 to 24 -- 2-- 22 to 18
24 to 19 -- 3-- 18 to 22
19 to 15 -- 4-- 22 to 17
15 to 18 -- 5-- 17 to 13
18 to 22 -- 6-- 13 to 9
30 to 26 -- 7-- 9 to 14
26 to 23 -- 8-- 14 to 10
23 to 18 -- 9-- 10 to 6
18 to 14 --10-- 6 to 1
14 to 9 --11-- 1 to 5
9 to 6 --12-- 5 to 1
6 to 2 King --13-- 1 to 5
2 to 6 --14-- 5 to 1
6 to 10 --15-- 1 to 5
10 to 15 --16-- 5 to 9
15 to 19 --17-- 9 to 14
27 to 23 --18-- 14 to 10
23 to 18 --19-- 10 to 6
18 to 14 --20-- 6 to 1
14 to 9 --21-- 1 to 5
9 to 6 --22-- 5 to 9
6 to 1 King --23-- 9 to 5
1 to 6 --24-- 5 to 1
6 to 9 --25-- 1 to 5
9 to 14 --26-- 5 to 1
14 to 18 --27-- 1 to 5
18 to 23 --28-- 5 to 9
23 to 27 --29-- 9 to 14
19 to 23 --30-- 14 to 9
23 to 18 --31-- 9 to 5
18 to 14 --32-- 5 to 1
14 to 9 --33-- 1 to 5
22 to 17 --34-- 5 to 14
17 to 10 --35-- 21 to 25
10 to 15 --36-- 25 to 29 King
15 to 19 --37-- 29 to 25
27 to 32 --38-- 25 to 22
19 to 24 --39-- 20 to 27
32 to 23 --40-- 22 to 17
23 to 18 --41-- 17 to 13
18 to 14, and wins next move.

The beginner who follows the moves of this game with an understanding brain, will learn more about the scientific theory of Draughts than he could acquire by a year of miscellaneous play.

COMMENTS ON THE LAWS.

As stated on page 182, the rules are few and simple. The explanations and remarks are in brackets.

1. The board is to be so placed as that the double corner is at the right hand of the player. [Some play on the white, and some on the black squares. For convenience of numbering the board and recording the moves, the white squares are now generally adopted.]

2. The choice of colour is determined by lot, and the men on either side are placed on the alternate squares in three lines immediately in front of the player. [The black or the white squares, as may be decided before starting.]

3. Black has the first move, and the men are changed with each game. [Thus giving in turn the first move to each player.]

4. The player who touches a man, except for the purpose of adjusting it, must move that man, if it can be legally moved.

5. A piece moved over the angle of a square must be moved to that square. [This is a newly-adopted law, to prevent the undecided mode of moving backward and forward adopted by some players.]

6. A man _en prise_ must be taken if intimation be given by the player offering it. If by accident it is left untaken, the piece which should have taken it may be huffed. [It is at the option of the adversary to huff or let the offending piece remain.]

7. The player cannot stand the huff, when he is told to take a man, or men.

8. The huff is not a move; and after taking off the huffed piece, the player moves. [Thus ‘huff and move’ is a well-understood direction.]

9. A player taking one piece only when two or more can be legally taken, may be huffed on the completion of his move.

10. When a piece is _en prise_ it must be taken within a minute. [This is to prevent the delay in which some indulge.]

11. Five minutes is the limit of time for considering a move. The penalty for exceeding the time allowed is loss of the game. [This law applies more particularly to match games.]

12. A piece abandoned is a completed move. [In all games this law should be observed, as nothing is so annoying to an opponent as to be asked to allow a move to be amended.]

13. A false or illegal move must be rectified, or the game resigned; such move may be allowed to remain, at the option of the adversary. [By a false move is meant the moving backward, or sideways, or on to the wrong-colour square.]

14. If a player in the act of taking remove one of his own men from the board, it cannot be replaced, except by consent of the opponent.

15. When three or more kings are opposed to a weaker force, the game must, when the opponent gives notice to count, be won within forty moves, or abandoned as drawn.

16. When two kings are opposed to one, the game is to be declared drawn, unless the player with the stronger force win in twenty moves. [From any part of the board two kings can win against one in fifteen or sixteen moves.]

17. Notice must be given of the intention to count the moves. [Twenty or forty, as the case may be; one for the combined move of both colours.]

18. When several pieces can be taken in one continuous move, no piece may be taken up off the board until the move is completed. The player failing to take all the men may be huffed. [As in Rule 9.]

19. When a man arrives at a square in the last row on the opposite side of the board, he must be immediately crowned. But the king cannot move till the opposing player has made his move.

20. Kings can move backward or forward, one square at a time only; and, to take two or more pieces in one move, there must be a vacant square behind each individual piece.

21. Disputes are to be decided by an umpire, or a majority of the company.

22. Matches must consist, unless otherwise agreed, of an equal number of games. [The rules for regulating a match should be determined and stated in writing. An umpire should be appointed.]

23. During the progress of a game neither player is allowed to leave the room, except by permission of his opponent.

24. Pointing over the board, loud talk, or any other behaviour likely to annoy or confuse an adversary, if persisted in, forfeits the game.

25. No bystander is allowed to advise a player, or interfere with the progress of a game.

26. A breach of any of the above laws is punishable by the loss of the game, if in the opinion of the umpire such breach was intentional.

ADVICE TO YOUNG PLAYERS.

Play with better players than yourself. Observe the openings.

Look well over the board before making a move.

Never touch a man without moving it.

Leave off when your mind is fatigued, and never persist in playing when you stand but small chance of winning.

Waste no time in considering an inevitable move. Take the offered piece without hesitation or delay.

When you are a man ahead, exchange as often as you can, but at the same time beware of man-traps and spring-guns.

Abandon a line of play the secret of which is discovered by your adversary; and when a piece must be lost, make no attempt to retain it. Sometimes it is safer to give up a man than to defend a weak position.

Make your kings as quickly as you can. Avoid all cramped positions. Back up your men in phalanx fashion:--

and move rather towards the centre than to the sides of the board. Be careful not to move out your men too soon from the safety of the back row.

Play with your head as well as with your fingers. Avoid banter and loud talk. Boast not of your victories. Win modestly, and lose with good temper. Punctuality is the politeness of kings. Courtesy is the grand characteristic of good draught-players.

II. THE LOSING GAME.

There is a good deal of amusement and no little skill in the Losing Game. As its name denotes, this game is the reverse of Draughts proper. The object is to lose all your men; and he who accomplishes that object wins.

The whole or main secret of the Losing Game is to play towards the sides of the board, and to so arrange your men as to be able to give up two, three, or more at a single _coup_. After a little practice you will discover that even with a dozen men on the board against, say, two or three, you may win--that is, you may compel your adversary to take them all. Or with a single king you may take man after man, and then, at last, commit graceful suicide. Or you may compel a king to take several men. Much depends on Having the Move. Here, for instance, is a position in which a king is forced to take eight men and lose the game:--

Black has only two squares into which he can go, and then he must allow White to give away his men one after the other. If White moves first, Black gains the opposition by losing his king, and wins the game.

In the next diagram, again, is a position in which White can compel a single Black man to take all his eleven pieces one after the other.

White, moving upward, first gives his king, and then the man on 24, after which he offers the man on 31, which White must take and become a king. The remaining moves are simple, but White has to play carefully, or he may enable the Black king to sacrifice himself and win.

The Losing Game offers numerous opportunities for calculation and combination; but what we have shown is sufficient to enable young players to understand the theory. Excellence will come with practice and perseverance.

III. POLISH DRAUGHTS.

The Polish game is played on a board of a hundred squares, ten each way; but for all ordinary purposes the regular English board of sixty-four squares will do as well. The board is set in the usual way, with a double corner at the right hand of the players, no matter which colour be chosen.

Two great and essential differences exist between English and Polish Draughts. In the foreign game the men _take backward and forward_, one square at a time, as many pieces as are _en prise_, and the kings _leap over any number of squares_, wherever and whenever there is a piece to take. As, in our own game, a piece touched must be moved, and all the other rules of the English game are to be observed. On the Continent, where the game is much more common than with us, the crowned man is called a queen, just as the game itself is Damen, a game for ladies. With them, as with us, the White squares are usually chosen.

It is by exchanges that good players at Polish Draughts parry moves and prepare combinations. It is well to give man for man, or two for two. By that means the game is strengthened, and thus it often happens that a single man can confine several of his opponent’s pieces.

The _lunette_--the placing a man on a square between two men of the other side--is much more frequent in the Polish than in the English game. Look well to the position before you enter the _lunette_; and having entered it, before you decide on your move. It is often a snare, which the good player will try to avoid.

Concentrate your men towards the end of the game, for then the slightest error may be fatal.

Two, three, or more pieces may sometimes be advantageously sacrificed to obtain a king, which, in this game, is very powerful. Make your kings as soon as you can, and play them with judgment. With a king and a man against two or three kings, hesitate not to sacrifice your man, for the game may be almost as well defended by the king alone. Between equal players, the game often results in a draw; but there is no saying how numerous are the combinations which may lead to victory or its reverse.

It is not necessary to give the moves of a game, as, except for its two grand distinctions, Polish Draughts is similar to the English game.

Here, then, we have pretty well all that can be taught on paper respecting this branch of the game. The next step is How to Open a game with advantage. This I shall proceed briefly to show; and after that the excellence is to be acquired by practice alone. Draughts, in all its varieties, is an admirable game, inculcating patience, caution, tact, and scientific calculation. Those who would excel in its practice must be content to go slowly. There is no royal road to Draughts. Perseverance and failure are the parents of success.

THE OPENINGS.

Usually it is necessary to begin at the beginning; but in Draughts and Chess, as in other games of skill, players commence playing, and even attain some degree of aptness, before they actually conquer the alphabet, the science, of the several amusements. There is no great harm in this plan, however. Do we not all learn to talk before we know anything of grammar or orthography; to sing before we understand even the notation of music; to argue and discuss before we get even the haziest notion of logic? Of course we do. And then we naturally endeavour to go back to first principles, and so correct our mistakes by aid of rule and system.

I told you some pages back that there were various accepted openings to the game of Draughts--the Old Fourteenth, the Single Corner, the Laird and Lady, the Glasgow, the Whilter, and some fifty others. All the really safe, sound, and favourable openings, however, proceed from the five here named. The rest are well enough to know, but in practice they are risky and fantastical.

To properly understand what follows, it is necessary that you should so completely conquer the notation of draughts as to be able to follow the moves in your mind’s eye without seeing the board. This is not nearly so difficult as you may think. Number your board as in the diagram below, and place the men in the order of play.

Here we have the Black men on the upper half of the board, though whether the White or the Black occupy that position the order of their moves is the same. The usual plan is for the Black to take the first move, and for the players to change the pieces with each game. By this method each player begins alternately, and always with the Black men. Our games will be so arranged, if you please.

Let us commence, then, with the best of the openings--

THE OLD FOURTEENTH.

BLACK. WHITE.
11 to 15 --1-- 23 to 19
8 to 11 --2-- 22 to 17
4 to 8 --3-- 17 to 13

These three moves on either side constitute the Old Fourteenth Opening. From this point, at which the game is perfectly even, spring many variations. The most common and accepted moves on each side are--

15 to 18 --4-- 24 to 20
11 to 15 --5-- 28 to 24
8 to 11 --6-- 26 to 23

The following is now the position. Both sides are well placed, and the game, if played thoroughly, should end in a draw, with White for preference.

Black has now the choice of two moves. We will suppose that he defends his position by moving from 9 to 14.

The first double column gives the moves from the position in the diagram; six moves on each side having been made. The other columns show six variations. The star indicates the losing move in each case.

----+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------
12 | | 26*22 | 25 22 | | | |
13 | 9-14 | 9-14 | 18-25 | | | |
14 | 31 26 | 31-26 | 29 22 | | | |
15 | 6- 9 | 5- 9 | 9-14 | | | |
16 | 13 6 | 26 23 | 27 23 | | | |
17 | 2- 9 | 1- 5 | 6- 9 | | | |
18 | 26 22 | 22 17 | 13 6 | | | |
19 | 1- 6 | 11 16 | 2- 9 | | | |
20 | 32 28 | 20 11 | 22 17 | | | |
21 | 3- 8 | 7-16 | 15 18 | .. | .. | 9*13 |
22 | 30 26 | 25 22 | 17 13 | 32 28 | | 26 22 |
23 | 9-13 | 18-25 | 18-27 | 18-27 | | 3- 8 | ..
24 | 19 16 | 29 22 | 13 6 | 19 16 | | 23 18 |
25 | 12-19 | 3- 7 | 14-18 | 12-19 | | 14-23 |
26 | 23 16 | 22 18 | 32 14 | 24 8 | | 31-27 |
27 | 13-17 | 15-22 | 10-17 | 3-12 | | 15-18 | 5* 9
28 | 22 13 | 19 15 | 21 14 | 31 24 | | 22 6 | 27 18
29 | 8-12 | 10-28 | 1-17 | 9-13 | | 13-22 | 1- 5
30 | 24 19 | 17 3 | 26 22 | 26 22 | | 27 18 | 30 26
31 | 15-31 | 22-26 | 17-26 | 7-11 | | 1-10 | 9-14
32 | 26 22 | 3 8 | 30*23 | 30*26 | | 18 14 | 18 9
33 | 12-19 | 16-20 | 5- 9 | 1- 6 | | 10-17 | 5-14
34 | 22 8 +-------+ 23 18 | 26 23 | 24*19 | 21 14 | 26 23
35 | 14-17 | white | 7-10 | 11-15 | 11-15 +-------+ 15-18
36 | 21 14 | wins. | 31 26 | 24 19 | 28 24 | white | 22 6
37 | 10 17 +-------+ 9-13 | 15-24 | 15-18 | wins. | 13-22
38 | 8 3 | | 26 23 | 28 19 | 22 15 +-------+ 6 2
39 | 7-10 | | 13-17 | 6- 9 | 13-31 | | 7-10
40 | 25 21 | | 18 14 | 20 16 | 15 11 | | 32 28
41 | 17-22 | | 17-21 | 10-15 | 14-18 | | 22-25
42 | 20 16 | | 14 7 | 17 10 | 11 7 | | 23 18
43 | 10-14 | | 3-10 | 15-24 | 31-26 | | 14-23
44 | 16 11 | +-------+ 23 19 | 21 17 | | 19 16
45 | 31-26 | | black | 24-27 | 26-22 | +-------
46 | 11 8 | | wins. | 10 6 | 17 13 | | white
+-------+ +-------+ 27-31 | 18-23 | | wins.
| | | | 6 2 | 7 3 | +-------
| draw. | | | black | black | |
| | | | wins. | wins. | |
----+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------

If you play out these games carefully you will see that there is a reason for each move, and thus demonstrate that Draughts is a scientific game possessing no element of luck or chance.

THE LAIRD AND LADY.

The opening known as the Laird and Lady is a favourite with players north of the Tweed. Rare fine players at Draughts are the Scotsmen. They carried the game across the Atlantic, where it is popularly known as Checquers, or, as the New Englanders spell it, Checkers.

The first two moves on each side in the Laird and Lady are the same as those in the Old Fourteenth.

BLACK. WHITE.
11 to 15 --1-- 23 to 19
8 to 11 --2-- 22 to 17

Then comes the variation which distinguishes it,

9 to 13 --3-- 17 to 14

This Black follows on with a move which compels an exchange.

10 to 17 --4-- 21 to 14
15 to 18 --5-- 26 to 23

White’s last move supports the advanced man on square 14. Then Black proceeds with what at first sight seems a weak move:--

13 to 17 --6-- 19 to 15

From this point the game is even, though the advantage would certainly seem to be on the side of the White. The following is the position at the point arrived at:--

From this position there are almost endless variations. Drummond, a well-known writer and specialist, gives no fewer than thirty; and, generally, they end in favour of White, the second player--proving that this opening is hardly so good as the Old Fourteenth or the Single Corner, which may be considered the standard games of first-rate players.

We give the moves of a completed game in this opening, showing the moves from which the variations spring.

BLACK. WHITE.
11 to 15 -- 1-- 23 to 19
8 to 11 -- 2-- 22 to 17
9 to 13 -- 3-- 17 to 14
10 to 17 -- 4-- 21 to 14
6 to 10 -- 5-- 25 to 21
10 to 17 -- 6-- 21 to 14
15 to 18 -- 7-- 29 to 25
11 to 16 -- 8-- 19 to 15
(or 1 to 6
19 to 25
4 to 8
26 to 22, &c.)
16 to 20 -- 9-- 26 to 23
(or 26 to 22)
1 to 6 --10-- 31 to 26
13 to 17 --11-- 15 to 10
6 to 15 --12-- 23 to 19
4 to 8 --13-- 19 to 10
8 to 11 --14-- 24 to 19
11 to 16 --15-- 26 to 22
(or 11 to 15)
17 to 26 --16-- 30 to 23
5 to 9 --17-- 14 to 5
7 to 14 --18-- 5 to 1

And White wins. Now try the variations indicated. Had Black at his fifteenth move gone from 11 to 15, the best he could have done would be to draw. See:--

11 to 15 --15--
12 to 19 --16-- 19 to 16
20 to 27 --17-- 27 to 24
7 to 11 --18-- 32 to 16
2 to 11 --19-- 16 to 7
18 to 25 --20-- 25 to 22
15 to 18 --21-- 30 to 21
11 to 16 --22-- 10 to 6

And the game is drawn.

It may be useful, in this place, to give a

TABLE OF THE PRINCIPAL OPENINGS.

-----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------
TITLE. | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th
| Move. | Move. | Move. | Move. | Move.
-----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------
Double Corner | 9-14 | | | |
Single Corner | 11-15 | 22-18 | | |
Ayrshire Lassie | 11-15 | 24-20 | | |
Second Double | | | | |
Corner | 11-15 | 24-19 | | |
Cross | 11-15 | 23-18 | | |
Whilter | 11-15 | 23-19 | 7-11 | |
Will o’ the Wisp | 11-15 | 23-19 | 9-13 | |
Dyke | 11-15 | 22-17 | 15-19 | |
Maid o’ the Mill | 11-15 | 22-17 | 15-18 | |
Defiance | 11-15 | 23-19 | 9-14 | 27-23 |
Glasgow | 11-15 | 23-19 | 8-11 | 22-17 | 11-16
Laird and Lady | 11-15 | 23-19 | 8-11 | 22-17 | 9-13
Fife | 11-15 | 23-19 | 9-14 | 22-17 | 5- 9
Old Fourteenth | 11-15 | 23-19 | 8-11 | 22-17 | 4- 8
-----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------

Of these, some already named--Old Fourteenth, Laird and Lady, &c.--are the best for practice. We therefore present another set of games in the

OLD FOURTEENTH.

As before, the key-game appears in the first double-column; and the variations spring from the point indicated. The moves are given consecutively; the first player going from 11 to 15; his opponent from 23 to 19, and so on to the end.

----+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------
|GAME | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------
1 | 11-15 | | | | | |
2 | 23 19 | | | | | |
3 | 8-11 | | | | | |
4 | 22-17 | | | | | |
5 | 4- 8 | | | | | |
6 | 17 13 | 25 22 | | | | |
7 | 15-18 | 15-18 | | | | |
8 | 24-20 | 22 15 | | | | |
9 | 11-15 | 11-18 | | | | |
10 | 28 24 | 17 13 | | | | |
11 | 8-11 | 7-11 | | | 9-14 | |
12 | 26 23 | 24 20 | | | 29 25 | |
13 | 9-14 | 10*14 | 3* 7 | | 10-25 | |
14 | 31 26 | 29 25 | 29 25 | | 19 10 | |
15 | 6- 9 | 2- 7 | 11-15 | | 6-15 | |
16 | 13 6 | 26 23 | 26 23 | | 26 23 | |
17 | 2- 9 | 7-10 | 15-24 | | 8-11 | |
18 | 26 22 | 21 17 | 20 19 | | 30 26 | |
19 | 1- 6 | 14-21 | 9-14 | 10*14 | 11*16 | |
20 | 32 28 | 23 7 | 32 28 | 30 26 | 24 20 | |
21 | 3- 8 | 3-10 | 6- 9 | 7-11 | 1- 6 | 7*11 |
22 | 30 26 | 25 22 | 13 6 | 19 15 | 20 11 | 28 24 |
23 | 9-13 | 9-14 | 2- 9 | 2- 7 | 7-16 | 3- 7 | 2* 6
24 | 19 16 | 22 17 | 30 26 | 26 22 | 26 22 | 24 19 | 24 19
25 | 12-19 | 11-15 | 1- 6 | 12-16 | 2- 7 | 15-24 | 15-24
26 | 23 16 | 27 23 | 26 22 | 22 17 | 22 17 | 26 22 | 26 22
27 | 13-17 | 15-24 | 7-11 | 7-10 | 7-10 | 11-15 | 11-15
28 | 22 13 | 28 19 | 22 15 | 32 28 | 23 19 | 20 11 | 20 11
29 | 8-12 | 8-11 | 11-18 | 10-26 | 16-23 | 7-16 | 24-28
30 | 24 19 | 31 26 | 31 26 | 31 15 | 25 22 | 27 11 | 11 8
31 | 15-31 | 11-15 | 9-13 | 11-18 | 18-25 | 8-27 | 12-16
32 | 26 22 | 32 28 | 26 22 | 17 10 | 27 2 | 32 23 | 22 17
33 | 12-19 +-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+3-12
34 | 22 8 | white | white | white | white | white | 17 10
35 | 14-17 | wins. | wins. | wins. | wins. | wins. +-------
36 | 21 14 +-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ white
37 | 10-17 | | | | | | wins.
38 | 8 3 | | | | | +-------
39 | 7-10 | | | | | |
40 | 25 21 | | | | | |
41 | 17-22 | | | | | |
42 | 20 16 | | | | | |
43 | 10-14 | | | | | |
44 | 16 11 | | | | | |
45 | 31-26 | | | | | |
46 | 11-18 | | | | | |
+-------+ | | | | |
| draw. | | | | | |
+-------+ | | | | |
----+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------

As in the previous examples, the asterisk shows the losing move. Young players should get this opening by heart. In the first game, you see, all that White can do is to draw; in the others he wins.

THE SINGLE CORNER GAME.

This a good and sound opening. Properly conducted, it gives the win to the first player. As in the Old Fourteenth and the Laird and Lady, the first move is from square 11 to square 15. The variation occurs in the second move, which is 22 to 18 instead of 22 to 19. Thus--

11 to 15 --1-- 22 to 18
15 to 22 --2-- 25 to 18
8 to 11 --3-- 29 to 25
10 to 15 --4-- 25 to 22
4 to 8 --5-- 24 to 20
12 to 16 --6-- 21 to 17

The position of the men is now as follows, without any great advantage on either side, with Black to move:--

It will be well for the students to play out the game from this position.

Now let us take some variations most usual in this opening. The first game is played from the initial move, and the variations from the places marked. It will be easy for any two players with the Numbered Board before them to follow the moves.

----+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------
| GAME | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
----+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------
1 | 11-15 | | | | | |
2 | 22 18 | | | | | |
3 | 15-22 | | | | | |
4 | 25 18 | | | | | |
5 | 8-11 | | | | | |
6 | 29 25 | | | | 10-14 | 9-13 | 9-14
7 | 4- 8 | | | 24 19 | 24 19 | 24 20 | 18 9
8 | 25 22 | | | 16-20 | 11-16 | 1?-16 | 5-14
9 | 12-16 | 11-16 | | 28*24 | 27 24 | 27 24 | 24 19
10 | 24 20 | 24 20 | | 7-11 | 16-20 | 8-12 | 11-15
11 | 8-12 | 8-11 | | 30 25 | 31 27 | 24 19 | 19 16
12 | 27 24 | 27 24 | | 11-16 | 7-10 | 10-15 | 12-19
13 | 10-14 | 9-13 | | 18 15 | 19 15 | 19 10 | 23 16
14 | 24 19 | 24 19 | | 9-14 | 10-19 | 6-15 | 14-18
15 | 7-10 | 5- 9 | | 22 18 | 24 15 | 31 27 | 21 17
16 | 32 27 | 28 24 | | 3- 7 | 6-10 | 7-10 | 18-25
17 | 9-13 | 10-15 | | 18 9 | 15 6 | 27 24 | 30 21
18 | 18 9 | 19 10 | | 5-14 | 1-10 | 2- 7 | 6- 9
19 | 5-14 | 6-15 | | 26 22 | 23 19 | 24 19 | 16 12
20 | 22 18 | 32 28 | | 14-18 | 14-23 | 15-24 | 9-14
21 | 1- 5 | 16-19 | | 23 14 | 27 18 | 28 19 | 27 23
22 | 18 9 | 23 16 | | 16-23 | 8-11 | 10*14 | 8-12
23 | 5-14 | 12-19 | | 27 18 | 22 17 | 18 9 | 32 27
24 | 26 22 | 26 23 | | 20-27 | 9-14 | 5-14 | 15-18
25 | 13-17 | 19-26 | | 32 23 | 18 9 | 22 18 | 17 13
26 | 22 13 | 30 23 | | 10-26 | 5-14 | 1- 5 | 1- 6
27 | 14-18 | 1- 5 | +-------+ 17 13 | 18 9 | 28 24
28 | 23 7 | 24 19 | | black | 2- 6 | 5-14 | 11-15
29 | 16-32 | 15-24 | | wins. | 26 22 | 19 15 | 23 19
30 | 30 26 | 28 19 | | | 20-24 | 11-27 | 7-11
31 | 3-10 | 7-10 | | | 30*26 | 20 2 | 26 23
32 | 21 17 | 31 27 | | | 12-16 | 27-31 | 18-22
33 | 11-15 | 2- 7 | 19*16 | | 19 12 | 26 22 | 21 17
34 | 26 23 | 19 16 | 10-14 | | 11-16 | 12-16 | 14-21
35 | 2- 7 | 10-15 | 16 7 | | 28 19 | 2 6 | 23 18
36 | 31 27 | 16 12 | 3-10 | | 16-30 | 16-19 | 11-16
37 +-------+ 7 10 | 20 16 | | 32 27 | 6 9 +-------
38 | Draw | 20*16 | 2- 7 | | 30-26 | 14-17 | black
39 | | 11-20 | 16*12 | | 22 17 | 21 14 | wins.
40 | | 18 11 | 14-17 | | 26-22 | 19-23 |
41 | | 10-14 | 21 14 | | 27 23 | 22 18 |
42 | | 22 18 | 10-26 | | 22-18 | 31-26 |
43 | | 13-17 | 31 22 | | 23 19 | 18 15 |
44 | | 18 15 | 7-10 | | 18-15 | 26-22 |
45 | | 17-22 | 12 8 | | 19 16 | 14 10 |
46 | | 15 10 | 10-14 | | 3- 7 | 22 18 |
| | 22-26 +-------+ | 12 8 +-------+
| | 10 6 | black | | 15-11 | white |
| | 26-31 | wins. | +-------+ wins. |
| | 6 1 | | | black | |
| +-------+ | | wins. | |
| | black | | | | |
| | wins. | | | | |
----+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------

The asterisk, in each case, shows the losing move. These games, however, by no means exhaust the variations in the Single Corner Game.

THE GLASGOW OPENING.

This mode of opening the game was, and is, a favourite one with Scottish players. It is a strong and sound game for the Black, beginning, like the Old Fourteenth, the Single Corner, and the Laird and Lady, with the move from square 11 to square 15. Presuming that Black always commences, the first moves are:--

BLACK. WHITE.
11 to 15 -- 1-- 23 to 19
8 to 11 -- 2-- 22 to 19
11 to 16 -- 3--

This third move of the Black is the variation which gives the Glasgow its special character. The move 4 to 8 instead of 11 to 16 would have been the Old Fourteenth. White’s safest reply is--

24 to 20
16 to 23 -- 4-- 27 to 17

Had White replied with 26 to 19, he would have lost by his opponent playing 10 to 14. As it is, Black’s next move is forced:--

7 to 16 -- 5-- 20 to 11
3 to 7 -- 6-- 25 to 22

From this point the game is even, though certainly Black has the best position for attack and defence. The situation is shown in the diagram:--

Black takes the man on square 11, which gives him a leading place on the board.

Instead of playing 25 to 22, many think that 28 to 24 is a better move. This, however, is open to question. Let us proceed with the game from the above point.

7 to 16 -- 7-- 28 to 24
16 to 20 -- 8-- 32 to 27

The last move of White gives him a certain advantage, but he must be careful not to move the man from square 24 to square 19, or Black by giving the man on 10 will win two for one. Black proceeds:--

12 to 16 -- 9-- 30 to 25

If White had moved 27 to 23, he would have lost a man, for Black would have taken the piece on 24, and obliged his opponent to go from 31 to 24; and then, by moving into square 20, compelled White to go from 24 to 19, and have gained the exchange by giving the man on 10. Therefore 30 to 25 is the best.

4 to 8 --10-- 26 to 23
2 to 7 --11-- 17 to 13 24 to 19 W. wins
10 to 14 --12-- 22 to 18
7 to 11 --13-- 24 to 19
8 to 12 --14-- 19 to 15 25 to 22 W. wins

Black has now the choice of two moves. Apparently he must lose a man, but by moving 16 to 19 he forces an exchange, which leaves him either even or a man ahead, according to White’s play. He moves from 16 to 19, and White may either take the man on 11 or the two men on 19 and 11.

16 to 19 --15-- 23 to 7
14 to 32 --16-- 7 to 3
20 to 24 --17-- 15 to 11
32 to 27 --18-- 31 to 26
24 to 28 --19-- 11 to 7
28 to 32 --20-- 7 to 2
12 to 16 --21-- 3 to 8
16 to 20 --22-- 8 to 12
27 to 24 --23-- 12 to 16
24 to 28 --24-- 16 to 19
32 to 27 --25-- 26 to 22 (forced, or Black gets
the breeches and wins a man)
27 to 24 --26-- 19 to 23
28 to 32 --27-- 23 to 26
24 to 27 --28-- 26 to 23
27 to 18 --29-- 25 to 15

And the game assumes the following position:--

Which is to win? It is Black’s move.

THE WHILTER OPENING.

This, like many others, is a modification of that best of all openings, the Old Fourteenth; the moves are--

11 to 15 -- 1-- 23 to 19
7 to 11 -- 2-- 22 to 17

This is the opening. It may proceed in many ways. The better, perhaps the best, plan is thus:--

9 to 14 -- 3-- 25 to 22
11 to 16 -- 4-- 26 to 23
5 to 9 -- 5-- 17 to 13

Had Black moved 16 to 20, he would have lost a piece by his opponent playing 29 to 25--

3 to 7 -- 6-- 29 to 25

which leaves the position thus:--

Black now usually plays from 1 to 5, and has a good sound strong game.