Do You Have to Take in Draughts? UK Rules, Forced Captures &
A draughts match often begins the same way: a board unfolded on the kitchen table, two rows of pieces lined up, and a quiet argument about whether you really have to take that piece you can see.
The answer matters, because it changes how the whole game plays. Before we settle it, a word on the kit itself. Our wooden pieces and boards are tested to UKCA and CE standards, so a set handed to a six-year-old is safe as well as handsome.
Here is everything you need to know, from setting up the board to the official UK rules on forced captures.
What You Need to Play Draughts: The Board, the Pieces, and How to Set Up
A game of draughts asks very little of you. You need a board, a set of pieces, and an opponent willing to lose gracefully.
A standard draughts set used in the UK contains 24 playing pieces: 12 dark and 12 light. Each player takes one colour. The board itself is an 8×8 grid of 64 squares, though only the 32 dark squares are ever used for play.
Setting up is quick. Each player places their twelve pieces on the dark squares of the three rows nearest them. That leaves the two central rows empty, ready for the first moves. The player with the darker pieces usually moves first.
English draughts is played on this 8×8 board, which distinguishes it from International draughts, played on a 10×10 board with 20 pieces per side. If you are buying a set, the 8×8 board is the one you want for the British game.
A folding board is the most practical choice for family use. Our Folding Draughts Set with 12" board and pieces packs the whole game away between rounds, which matters when the table is needed for supper.
If you would rather one set covered two games, our wooden chess set that includes draughts pieces serves both. You will find more alongside it in our traditional games, where the older table games sit together.
How to Play Draughts: Movement, Capturing, and the Huffing Rule Explained
Draughts rewards attention far more than it rewards speed. The rules are simple to learn in an afternoon and take rather longer to master.
The rules of English draughts specify that pieces may only move diagonally, and ordinary pieces may only move forward, one square at a time, onto an empty dark square.
Capturing is where the game comes alive. If an opponent's piece sits diagonally in front of yours, with an empty square directly beyond it, you may jump over it and remove it from the board. If another capture becomes available from your new position, you take that too, chaining several jumps in a single turn.
The huffing rule is worth knowing, though it has largely fallen out of modern play. Under older conventions, if a player failed to make an available capture, the opponent could 'huff' them, removing the offending piece as a penalty. Most players today prefer to simply insist the capture is made instead.
Beginners tend to rush captures and expose themselves to a return jump. Slowing down pays off almost at once.
Our guide to draughts rules and how the game differs from checkers sets this out in more depth, and our piece on the draughts game covers its long history. You will find the sets to play on in our board games.
Do You Have to Take a Piece in Draughts? The Official UK Rules on Forced Captures
So, do you have to take a piece in draughts? Under the official UK rules, yes. Captures are compulsory.
If a capture is available to you on your turn, you must make it. You cannot choose to make an ordinary move instead and leave the opponent's piece sitting there. This is the heart of the forced-capture rule, and it shapes nearly every tactic in the game.
Where two or more different captures are available, you may choose which one to take. The rule compels you to capture; it does not dictate which capture, unless you are playing a variant that requires taking the maximum number of pieces.
Once a capture begins, it must be completed. If your piece can continue jumping from its new square, you are obliged to carry on until no further jump is possible on that turn.
This single rule is why experienced players set traps. By offering a piece they know their opponent must take, they force a move that opens a stronger return capture. A sacrifice that wins two pieces in reply is one of the game's oldest pleasures.
It also explains why rushing is punished. The compulsion cuts both ways, and a careless attacker can be marched straight into a losing exchange.
A good board makes these sequences easier to read. The pieces in our Folding Draughts Set are weighted to sit still mid-game, and you will find plenty more in our wooden toys.
How to Win at Draughts: Kings, Endgame Strategy, and Common Mistakes to Avoid
Winning at draughts means leaving your opponent with no legal move, either by capturing all their pieces or by blocking them completely.
Kings are the key to the endgame. When a piece reaches the opponent's back row, it is crowned and becomes a king, gaining the ability to move backwards as well as forwards. A king is far more powerful than an ordinary piece, and getting one first often decides the match.
Early on, control of the centre gives you more options. Towards the end, with few pieces left, the player with a king can chase and corner the opponent's remaining men with ease.
The most common mistake is trading pieces evenly when you are behind. If you have fewer pieces, exchanges only speed up your defeat. Hold your pieces back and make your opponent come to you.
A second frequent error is advancing pieces too eagerly, breaking the back row before a king is needed. Keeping that row intact denies the opponent a crowning square for as long as possible.
Patience, again, wins more games than brilliance. The forced-capture rule means a single well-placed sacrifice can turn a losing position around in two moves.
Draughts makes a quietly brilliant gift for a child who already seems to own everything, as we discuss in our guide to toys that actually get used and our Christmas gift ideas for children who have everything.
Draughts Variations You Can Play at Home: Pool Draughts, Losing Draughts, and More
Once the standard game feels familiar, a few variants keep things fresh with the same board and pieces.
Losing draughts, sometimes called giveaway, turns the aim on its head. The winner is the first player to lose all their pieces or be unable to move. The forced-capture rule still applies, which makes for some wonderfully contrary tactics as you try to force your opponent to take.
Pool draughts, a popular American cousin, allows ordinary pieces to capture backwards as well as forwards, though they still move forwards only. It speeds the game up and makes traps harder to set.
International draughts, on its larger 10×10 board with 20 pieces per side, is worth trying if you want a longer, more demanding game. The flying king, which can travel any distance along a diagonal, changes the endgame entirely.
You can also simply play corners or first-to-three across an evening, which suits younger children who are still learning the diagonal moves.
All of these work with the same chess-and-draughts kit, which is why our wooden chess set including draughts pieces earns its place on the shelf. For games to play in the garden on a fine afternoon, browse our outdoor games.
And if dominoes are next, our guide to how many pieces are in a domino set explains the different sizes in the same plain way.
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Frequently Asked Questions About How Many Pieces In A Draughts Set
How many pieces in a draughts set?
A standard UK draughts set contains 24 playing pieces: 12 dark and 12 light. Each player controls one colour. The pieces are flat, disc-shaped counters, and both sets are identical in size. In English draughts, played on an 8×8 board, each side begins with 12 pieces. This differs from International draughts, which is played on a 10×10 board and uses 20 pieces per side, as governed by the Fédération Mondiale du Jeu de Dames (FMJD).
How do you set up a draughts board?
Place the 8×8 board so that each player has a dark square in the bottom-left corner. Only the 32 dark squares are used for play. Each player places their 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three rows closest to them, leaving the two central rows empty. Light pieces typically occupy the top three rows, dark pieces the bottom three. Players then alternate turns, with dark (or black) conventionally moving first.
Do you have to take a piece if you can in draughts?
Yes. Under standard English draughts rules, if a capture is available, you must take it. Capturing is compulsory, not optional. If multiple captures are possible, you may choose which one to make, but you cannot decline to capture altogether. If a sequence of captures is available in a single turn, you must complete the full chain. This compulsory capture rule is a defining feature of English draughts as played in the UK.
What happens if you don't take a piece in draughts?
If you fail to make a compulsory capture, your opponent may invoke the huffing rule. Huffing allows the opponent to remove ('huff') the piece that should have made the capture, as a penalty. In some modern or informal play, huffing has been dropped in favour of simply requiring the player to go back and make the correct capture. House rules vary, so it is worth agreeing beforehand which convention you are using.
How do you become a king in draughts?
In English draughts, a piece becomes a king when it reaches any square on the opponent's back row. The opponent places a second piece on top to crown it, or a dedicated crown piece is used. Becoming a king is a significant advantage: ordinary pieces may only move forwards diagonally, whereas a king gains the ability to move both forwards and backwards diagonally, making it far more manoeuvrable across the board.
Can a king move backwards in draughts?
Yes. In English draughts, once a piece is crowned and becomes a king, it can move diagonally in any direction — both forwards and backwards. Ordinary, uncrowned pieces are restricted to forward diagonal moves only. This additional freedom of movement makes kings considerably more powerful than ordinary pieces, allowing them to attack and evade in ways that standard pieces cannot. The king still moves only one square at a time unless making a capture.
How do you win at draughts?
You win at draughts by either capturing all of your opponent's pieces or leaving them with no legal moves available on their turn. Because capturing is compulsory, skilled players manoeuvre their pieces to force the opponent into unfavourable captures or positions. If neither player can make progress and the game repeats without resolution, the game may be declared a draw. Controlling the centre of the board and promoting pieces to kings are key strategic aims.
How many players do you need to play draughts?
Draughts is a two-player game. One player takes the 12 dark pieces and the other takes the 12 light pieces, and they alternate turns throughout the game. There is no team or multi-player variant in standard English draughts. The game is well suited to players of all ages and requires no additional equipment beyond the board and pieces, making it one of the most accessible traditional strategy games available.
What is the huffing rule in draughts?
The huffing rule is an older convention in English draughts. If a player fails to make a compulsory capture, their opponent has the right to 'huff' — that is, remove the offending piece from the board as a penalty, without it counting as a capture for scoring purposes. The move that should have captured is then forfeit. Huffing is less common in modern play; many players now simply require the correct capturing move to be made instead. Always agree on your rules before starting.
What are the official rules of draughts in the UK?
English draughts is played on an 8×8 board using only the 32 dark squares. Each player has 12 pieces, moving diagonally forward one square at a time. Capturing is compulsory: a piece jumps over an opponent's piece into the empty square beyond, removing the captured piece. Multiple captures in one turn must be completed in full. A piece reaching the opponent's back row is crowned king and may move both forwards and backwards diagonally. The winner captures all opposing pieces or leaves the opponent with no legal move.