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Checkers with Bosses


It's checkers variant rather than chess vaiants, but it have chess elements: differently moving pieces and something king-like.

Well, the things i'm calling "king-like" actually have different idea than chess kings.










D - diagonal movers.

O - orthogonal movers.

C - compounds.


Basis rules are as in English draughts. Capturing backward is not allowed. If there are several ways of capturing, player must choose the one, that takes the highest number of opponent's pieces. Piece must stop series of capturing after promotion, even if further captures are possible. Crowned pieces can move only one step away.

If you prefer other checkers rules, you may use them as basis (e.g., with long-range crowned pieces, etc).

Diagonal movers steps diagonally forward, as in most of checkers variants.

After promotion they may step diagonally backward.

Orthogonal movers steps orthogonally forward and sidewayes, as in Turkish checkers.

After promotion they may step orthogonally backward.

Compounds moves both diagonally and orthogonally forward and sideways.

After promotion they may step in any direction.

Altering orthogonal and diagonal captures during one series of capturing is allowed.

Now, the game's most specific rules.

Ones all pieces of certain type are captured, their owner must drop the Boss on one of 3 first ranks before moving (it don't count as turn, and player must move afterwards). It's not allowed to drop it, so that you can make captures differently, than if you would not drop the Boss.

If two or three types of pieces was destroyed in one turn, player must drop respectively two or three bosses before moving.

Boss moves as promoted pieces of type, wich was just destroyed. But boss can't be captured by single overtake. When opponent's pieces overtakes it first and second time, it remains on board. Once it's overtaken third time, it's captured.

Boss can be overtaken several times during one series of captures, and thus, captured in less than 3 turns. However, it's not allowed to just move your piece back and forth to overtake boss several times within one turn, there must be intermediate captures.

The game's goal is to capture all three of opponent's bosses.

One special rule.

If there are only diagonal pieces left, and players can't contact one another because of being on different diagonal bindings, the player, who moved last (before opponent's turn) must move all his checkers one step orthogonally in same direction. Preferably, left or right. If moving sideways is impossible, he must move checkers backward. If moving backward is impossble, he must move them forward (checkers from 7th rank will promote). If moving all checkers in same direction is impossible, player must move the most pieces in one same direction (priority, if he have four checkers: 3 in one, 1 in another > 2 in one, 2 in another > 2 in one, 1 in another, 1 in the third > all in different direction).

In unlikely situation, when one checker is surrounded by four opponent's checkers, it may move 3 steps away, not affecting the priority of directions.

Possible variatons of this game:

1. Boss have more than 3 hit points.

2. Initially Boss can move only forward as normal pieces, and is subject of promotion.


I came up with this idea when i was thinking of combining shogi and another Japanese entertainment - beat-em-up videogames.

It should have such feature of these games, as bosses. Originally i was thinking that bosses must be captured 3 times to come in player's hand, for first two times, the return to owner's hand. But when i realized that being strong royal piece is enough and my idea has changed.

But i decided to use idea of 3 hits for variant of checkers - game, where way of capturing is not replacement.


By Daniil Frolov.
Web page created: 2013-12-20. Web page last updated: 2013-12-20﻿