Damasi - Turkish board game

Turkish Draughts (also known as Dama or Damasi) is a variation of checkers popularly played in Turkey. Unlike games like backgammon, chess, or card games, Turkish Draughts does not require any specialized equipment for gameplay. It is a challenging board game that can help enhance your logical and strategic thinking abilities. Test and improve your strategic skills while enjoying this engaging game.

Features:

* Online multiplayer with chat functionality, ELO ranking system, and invitation feature

* Single-player or two-player mode available

* Option to create custom draughts positions

* Save game progress and resume at a later time

* Classic wooden interface for an appealing visual experience

Game Rules:

* The game is played on an 8x8 board with 16 pieces lined up on each side in two rows, excluding the back row.

* Pieces can move forward or sideways by one square and capture opponents' pieces by jumping over them. However, backward moves are not allowed. When a piece reaches the opponent's back row, it gets promoted to a king with increased movement capabilities.

* Kings can move any number of squares in any direction - forward, backward, or sideways - capturing enemy pieces by jumping over them and landing on a free square beyond the captured piece.

* Captured pieces are immediately removed from the board. Players must make compulsory jumps if possible, prioritizing moves that result in capturing the most pieces. In case of multiple capturing options, the player can choose the sequence that captures the maximum number of pieces.

* The game concludes when a player has no legal moves left, either due to losing all their pieces or being blocked completely. In such situations, the opposing player wins the game.

* In Turkish Draughts, players can move across the same square multiple times within a single capturing sequence, as captured pieces are eliminated immediately after the jump.

* During multi-captures, changing direction by 180 degrees between consecutive captures is not permitted.

Tips to win

1. Memorize specific opening sequences. 

There are several helpful openings that you should learn as a beginner, like the well known “Old Faithful”. Also, it will stand you in good stead to memorize specific board states from the mid-game and end-game as well. 

2. Keep your back row solid for as long as possible.

The back row is where your opponent has to get to, in order to crown pieces. If the back row is solid, no pieces can be crowned. Of course, you will need to move these pieces at some point, but try to hang onto that back row for as long as possible.

3. Focus on controlling the middle of the board.

Controlling the center of the board puts you in a position of advantage. It means that you can move to the left or right as needed. How many pieces should be controlling the center of the board? Use as many pieces as it takes to ensure that your opponent can only advance on the left or right edge.

4. Play offensively.

Playing defensively instead of offensively really puts you at a disadvantage. This is because the opponent can use a forced move to present you with a capture, which, as you know, you have to take. This can result in losing pieces quicker than anticipated. 

5. Know when to sacrifice pieces to gain an advantage.

You cannot protect every single piece on the board. If losing one of your pieces means that you will gain an advantage, do it – unless losing the piece will cause you to lose the game.