Alquerque
A free game from Ancient.Games · no wagering, no account
Alquerque
Twelve a side on a lattice of lines, from Moorish Spain by way of Egypt.
The grandfather of draughts — and it bites harder.
Twelve stones each and one empty point between us. You go first.
Tap one of your stones, then tap where it goes.
The real one clacks.
A handmade board with the lattice engraved deep, and your choice of tall turned wood pawns or glass pieces. Quick to learn, and it lives happily on a coffee table between games.
How it works
Twenty-five points, joined by the engraved lines. Some points carry diagonals and some don't — that lattice is the whole game, and it's why Alquerque plays nothing like a chequerboard.
Move one stone one step along a line to an empty point. Capture by jumping an enemy stone into the empty point directly beyond it, in a straight line.
Capturing is compulsory, and so is continuing: if the stone that just landed can jump again, it must, and it keeps going until it can't. That's where games are won in a single turn.
Take every enemy stone, or leave your opponent with no legal move, and the game is yours.
Ancient Games · handmade historical boards · ancient.games