Cyber Olympiad in Italian Checkers

Italian Checkers (Italian: Dama Italiana) is a variant of the draughts family played mainly in Italy. It is a two-handed game played on a board consisting of sixty-four squares, thirty-two white and thirty-two black. There are twenty-four pieces: twelve white and twelve black.

Gameplay

White always moves first, and players alternate moving. Checkers move one square diagonally forward. Should they reach the file farthest from the player to which they belong, they become kings. Kings can move forward or back one square, again only diagonally.

Capturing is mandatory in Italian draughts. Should a man be found neighbouring an opposing piece behind which is an empty position, the player is compelled to attain this empty position and remove the opposing man from the board. Checkers may only capture diagonally forward and can capture a maximum of three pieces in a row. Kings move, as well as capture, backwards.

A player wins when he has succeeded in capturing all of his opponent’s pieces, or if his opponent resigns. A draw occurs when neither player can theoretically take an opposing piece.

Capturing

• If a player is faced with the prospect of choosing which captures to make, the first and foremost rule to obey is to capture the greatest quantity of pieces.
• If a player may capture an equal number of pieces with either a man or king, he must do so with the king.
• If a player may capture an equal number of pieces with a king, in which one or more options contain a number of kings, he must capture the greatest number of kings possible.
• If a player may capture an equal number of pieces (each series containing a king) with a king, he must capture wherever the king occurs first.
• If none of these rules applies to the situation at hand, the player may choose according to his tactical requirements.

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