How to Play Alquerque
Alquerque reached Europe through the Arab world a thousand years ago and was described in the Spanish Libro de los juegos of 1283. Put its pieces on a chessboard and you get draughts.
The board
A 5×5 grid of points joined by lines along every row and column, with diagonals through alternate squares. Pieces stand on the points and move along the lines.
Setup
Twelve pieces each fill every point but the centre: Black takes the top two rows and the right half of the middle row, White the bottom two rows and the left half. White moves first.
Moves
- Move a piece along a line to an adjacent empty point.
- Or jump an adjacent enemy piece along a line to the empty point directly beyond, removing it. A jump may continue from the landing point while further jumps exist.
- Capturing is compulsory: if any jump is available you must jump (any one of them).
Winning
A side with no pieces or no legal move loses. Forty moves without a capture is a draw.
Playing on kawu
Tap a piece, then a highlighted point. Play White or Black against the computer (three levels), or two players on one device. Hint shows the computer's move.
Next, read the Alquerque strategy.
Frequently asked questions
Which points have diagonal lines?
Points whose row and column numbers add to an even number (counting from zero). On the board that gives the two long diagonals and a diamond of diagonals through the edge midpoints: every other square has an X.
Must I take the longest capture?
No. You must capture if you can, and you may continue a chain while more jumps exist, but you choose which capture to make.
Why forty quiet moves for a draw?
Pieces move in any direction, so two lone pieces could dance forever. Forty moves without a capture ends the game as a draw.
Last updated 2026-10-21