Alquerque
The medieval ancestor of draughts: leap and chain-capture on a line board.
How to play Alquerque
You play the dark discs against the computer's light discs on a 5x5 grid of points linked by lines. Click one of your pieces, then a highlighted point to move it one step along a line to an empty point. You capture by leaping over an adjacent enemy, in a straight line, to the empty point beyond, and if another leap is then available with the same piece it chains, so captures come in runs. Captures are compulsory: when a jump exists you must take one. Wipe out the enemy, or leave them with no legal move, to win.
The grandfather of draughts
Alquerque is genuinely ancient. It appears with diagrams and problems in the Libro de los juegos, the great book of games compiled for King Alfonso X of Castile in 1283, which calls this version alquerque de doce, alquerque of twelve, after the dozen pieces each side commands. The Spanish name comes from its Arabic one, el-quirkat, found in Arab texts as early as the tenth century, and board patterns that look just like it have been found scratched into ancient stone, though how old those carvings really are is argued about. What is certain is the family line: when medieval players moved these leaping, chaining captures onto the chessboard's 64 squares, draughts was born, the game English speakers call checkers. Playing Alquerque is playing checkers' grandfather, and you can feel the resemblance within two moves.
Captures are forced: make that your weapon
The rule that gives Alquerque its bite is compulsion: if you can capture, you must, and so must the computer. That sounds like a leash. It is actually the sharpest tool on the board, because a forced move is a predictable move. You move one step along a marked line to an empty point; you capture by leaping an adjacent enemy in a straight line to the empty point beyond, and if the same piece can immediately jump again it keeps going, clearing several discs in one turn.
The bread-and-butter play is the two-for-one. Step a disc somewhere it can be jumped, but arrange things so the enemy's landing point sits beside a second disc of yours with an empty point beyond. They must take the bait; you recapture; and if your recapture chains into a second jump, you come out a disc ahead on a trade you wrote yourself. Set these up constantly, and count the whole chain before you commit, because the computer is running the same arithmetic against you.
The fight for the middle
With twelve pieces a side on a board of 25 points, the game starts nearly full: only the centre point is free. That single empty point is the whole opening. Whoever steps in first offers the first capture, so the early game is a tense shuffle about preparing that exchange on your terms, and you should expect the first pieces to trade off through the middle rather than survive there. The centre matters all game long because of the board's wiring. Lines do not run everywhere: only every other point carries diagonals, so before your first game trace which points connect where, because a capture you assume is possible may simply have no line to travel. The centre point is connected to eight lines, more than anywhere else, so a disc that holds it safely threatens in every direction, while a corner disc can reach only a couple.
In practice the opening trade tends to go like this: you step into the centre, the computer must jump your disc, and its jumper lands deep on your side of the board, where your waiting pieces punish it. Played the other way round, you are the one stranded. That is why good players prepare the centre entry a move or two ahead instead of grabbing the point the moment it tempts them, and why the very first move of the game already rewards a little patience.
Trading rules of thumb
- Fight for the centre point, but take it when you can hold it, not just because it is open.
- When you are ahead in pieces, trade one-for-one at every sensible chance. Five against three is a far easier win than ten against eight.
- When you are behind, avoid even trades and hunt chain setups; only a multi-capture turn gets you back in the game.
- Keep your discs in mutually guarding pairs, so anything that jumps one is jumped back at once.
- Mind your forward pieces. Pushed carelessly, one becomes the bait in the computer's trap instead of yours.
Win by capturing every enemy disc, or by leaving your opponent with no legal move. You play the dark pieces; Easy, Medium and Hard set how hard the computer fights back, and on Hard it will punish a lazy advance with a three-disc chain you never saw coming. The Libro, by the way, printed sample problems for this game seven centuries ago. People have been falling for the same two-for-one ever since.
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Alquerque: frequently asked questions
How do captures work in Alquerque?
Leap over one adjacent enemy piece along a drawn line to the empty point just beyond, removing it. If the same piece can then jump again it must continue, capturing several pieces in a single chained turn.
Are captures mandatory?
Yes. Whenever any of your pieces can make a capturing leap, you must play a capture rather than a quiet step. The game highlights only the pieces that are allowed to move that turn.
How do I win?
You win by capturing all of the computer's pieces, or by reducing it to a position where it has no legal move on its turn. Likewise you lose if you run out of pieces or moves, so watch for forced leaps.
How is Alquerque related to checkers?
Alquerque is the medieval ancestor of draughts and checkers: the short-leap capture and mandatory jumps carried straight over when the game was later moved onto a chequered 8x8 board.
Do I have to capture when a jump is available?
Yes. Captures are compulsory for both sides. If one of your pieces can leap an enemy, you must take a capturing move that turn, which is what makes baiting and trap-setting so central to the game.
How do chained captures work?
After a jump, if the same piece can immediately leap another enemy, it must continue, and so on. A single move can snake across the board removing several discs, so it pays to line up the longest chain.
Which point on the board is the strongest?
The centre. It's the only point connected to all eight lines, so a piece sitting there can move and capture in every direction, while corner and edge points have far fewer options.
How do you win at Alquerque?
Capture all of the opponent's pieces, or trap them so they have no legal move left on their turn. Both count as a win, and forcing a position with no moves is a real route to victory.
How is Alquerque related to checkers?
It's the ancestor. The same short steps, leaps, and compulsory chained captures were carried onto the 64-square chessboard in medieval Europe, and that became draughts, or checkers.
Should I trade pieces when I am winning?
Yes, eagerly. Even one-for-one trades favour whoever is ahead, because the gap matters more as the board empties: five discs against three is a far easier win than ten against eight. Behind in material, do the opposite: avoid trades and play for chain captures.
Is Alquerque free to play?
Yes. Alquerque is completely free on Inkplay, with no download, no sign-up, and no in-game purchases. Open the page and play instantly on desktop or mobile.
Can I play Alquerque unblocked?
Yes. Alquerque runs entirely in your browser with no download, install, or plugins, so it loads instantly and keeps working even on school or work networks where bigger game sites get blocked.
More games to play
In the mood for more? Try Chess, Tic Tac Toe, Connect Four, Reversi, or browse all board games and the full games list on Inkplay.