Another of my all-time favourite board games
Written: Jan 09 '07
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Pros: Easy to learn, difficult to master...
Cons: ... ... ... some games can end in stalemate
The Bottom Line: Checkers (or draughts) is a great game with true lastability. Give up the Playstation for a day and experience a real game!
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| captaind's Full Review: Solid Wood Checkers |
Checkers (often known as “Draughts” in the UK) – not to be confused with “Chinese Checkers”, which has similarities but is a completely different game, is a deceptively simple game of moving around a board jumping over things. (That in itself is a deceptively simple description. See how subtly deceptive it really is?!?)
This 2-player game is played on the same board as chess (an 8 x 8 black and white chequered board), you start off with 12 pieces each – white / black – and they are each places on the black square of the first three rows either side of the board. You can move one square forwards diagonally, or you can jump over a piece if it’s one square ahead of you. If it’s possible you can actually jump over more than one piece in a move. If you can jump a piece but don’t, you forfeit the piece that could have jumped (when playing against younger players, you will often find yourself pointing out that they could have jumped but not taking their piece away to avoid the inevitable tantrums that would have come if you did!). If you reach the other side of the board, you can “king” your playing piece by putting a captured piece on top of it to double its height) – the king can move forwards or backwards.
There is a lot more strategy than first meets the eye. For a start you need to plan carefully to avoid having your pieces captured while forcing your opponent to place his / her pieces in a jumpable area. Then again you may tempt the other player to jump your pieces for a tactical advantage or to jump more than one piece in return. Though nowhere near as complicated as chess, you really do have to learn to plan several moves ahead to be able to succeed in this game. (I was runner-up in our school tournament way back when I was 10 – my best friend beat me in the final – I remember hiding in the loos for a while when I realise he had me trapped in the deciding game and being dragged out by the Headmaster! He also won the chess tournament, beating me in the second round of that – what a know-it-all!!) It requires a high degree of concentration and even though games can end in stalemate, the tactical battle that went beforehand stops that from being a real frustration. After all, you’ll have to have another game to decide the winner! :-D Other aspects of the game like capturing key strategic positions and keeping your last line of defence for as long as possible give this game a lot more tactical twists than you imagine when you first learn how to play it.
If you take all your opponents pieces then you win, and vice-versa. A stalemate occurs when no winner can be found after many moves, typically when both players only have one piece left and it’s impossible for either player to pin the other down.
The simplicity of the way the pieces move make it easy for young players to learn the game, albeit they won’t work out how to play it well for a while. It’s subtle complexity also means that even as an adult you’ll find yourself surprised by it. I’ve always preferred this game to chess though perhaps that’s partly due to learning it earlier in life and not finding it so confusing initially. It’s a game that, with an opponent who can give you a decent challenge, never really seems to get boring.
Although the wooden sets are a little more expensive, they’re much more satisfying to use than the cheap and nasty plastic sets. A solid wood board and pieces is likely to set you back around £7-10 (about $12-18), but it’s well worth paying the extra money. As well as looking nicer and playing better (no small gusts of wind or mildly inquisitive pets are likely to disturb the pieces too much), they also last much better than the plastic counterparts.
Very highly recommended, especially if you’ve always felt that you should like chess but found it too confusing or long-winded. (Games can take a fair while with checkers but are nothing like as long as chess games!) It will offer you something that you can get into straight away but also give you a long-term challenge.
(Even if you do get bored of the standard game there are variations such as “Giveaway” – where instead of taking all the other player’s pieces, you must force them to take all of yours – and “Extreme” / “Speed Checkers”, where you must make all your moves as quickly as possible.)
Other Reviews in Kids & Family
Chinese Checkers
Connect Four
iMAGiNiff
Monopoly
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 15
Type of Toy: Board Game
Age Range of Child: 9 Years or Older
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