in English Draughts, is it mandatory to jump maximum? If so, then BUG Draughts, Checkers

6 replies. Last post: 2016-04-26

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in English Draughts, is it mandatory to jump maximum? If so, then BUG
  • Ray Garrison at 2016-04-25

    https://www.littlegolem.net/jsp/game/game.jsp?gid=1772277&nmove=53

    In this game, my opponent was threatening a double jump with his King, so I made a move so that after he did what I thought was a mandatory double jump, I would double jump his man and his King.  However, the system allowed him to do a single jump, thus avoiding losing his King, but even worse, I lost a man for nothing because of this apparent bug. can someone please let me know if jumping the maximum number is mandatory, or is this a bug?

  • Ray Garrison at 2016-04-25

    [game;id:1772277;move:53]

  • Ray Garrison at 2016-04-25

    also, why can't I show the board using the syntax above?  Any suggestions?

  • gamesorry ★ at 2016-04-25

    I guess it's due to the following rule of  English Draughts (from wiki):

    Multiple jumps are possible, if after one jump, another piece is immediately eligible to be jumped—even if that jump is in a different diagonal direction. If more than one multiple-jump move is available, the player may choose which piece to jump with, and which sequence of jumps to make. The jumping sequence chosen is not required to be the one that maximizes the number of jumps in the turn; however, a player must make all available jumps in the sequence chosen.

    I also get confused quite often in different variants of Checkers btw:)

  • christian freeling at 2016-04-26

    The main issue is a tactics called a 'sticker' that emerges in variants that require to capture the maximum number of pieces, and is absent in variants that don't. A sticker is a piece that gets exposed to capture, but cannot be taken because of a longer capture that is available in the same position. That sounds kind of dry, but the sticker pervades tactics in all variants that maximise capture.

  • Ray Garrison at 2016-04-26

    thanks for clarifying the rule, gamesorry.  I did make an unfortunate error due to misunderstanding of the rules.  I was winning the game by one pip, and sacrificed it thinking he had to double jump and thus fall into a double jump losing his king, but instead, he just took the single free piece I gave him.  This is how to learn the game the hard way!  (no “stickers” in english draughts!)

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