The Standard Board

1. The Standard Board must be not less than fourteen & 1 half inches, nor more than sixteen inches square, & divided into 64 squares of equal size, alternately coloured light and dark (technically Black & White).

2. The Board shall be placed so that the bottom square on each player's left shall be black.

The Standard Men

3. The Standard men, technically described as Black & White, must be light and dark (say red and white, or black & white), turned, and round, not less than one & one-eight inches, nor more than one and one-quarter inches in diameter.

Placing the Men

4. The men shall be placed on the Black squares.

5. The Black men shall invariably be placed upon the first twelve squares of the board; the White upon the last twelve squares.

Order of Play

6. Each player shall play alternately with Black and White men, and lots shall be cast for the colour only once - at the commencement of a match - the winner to have the choice of taking Black or White.

7. The first move is made by the player having the Black men, after which the players move alternately.

Method of Play

8. The player whose turn it is to move proceeds by advancing one of his men diagonally forward to an adjacent vacant square. If, however, an opponent's piece occupies one of the adjacent squares, and there is a vacant square immediately behind it, that piece of the opponent's is subject to capture, and must be captured. The player does this by having his man leap over the opponent's piece and on to the vacant square
(or any further similar squares) and then captures the piece (or pieces) by removing it from the board. A player may not move a piece on to a square occupied by an opponent's piece which does not have a vacant square immediately behind it.

9. Captures are compulsory, but if there is a choice of captures, the player may choose that which best suits his purpose; he is not required to play the move which captures the greatest number of men. However, once he begins a capturing move he must continue until all the men available on the path chosen have been captured.

10. Uncrowned men may move or capture in a forward direction only.

11. A capturing play, as well as an ordinary one, is completed whenever the hand is withdrawn from the piece played, even though two or more pieces have been taken, and have still to be removed from the board.

12. When capturing, if a player removes one of his own pieces, he may not replace it; but his opponent may either play or insist on his replacing it.

Crowning the Men

13. When a man first reaches any of the squares on the opposite extreme line of the board, it becomes a King, and must immediately be crowned (by placing a man on top of it) by the opponent. Crowning a piece completes its move - it cannot then capture a piece that is en prise.

14. The King is empowered to move or capture backwards or forwards, as the limits of the board permit. ( The King, like any man, may not refuse to capture when the occasion arises.)

15. If the opponent neglects to crown a man that has reached the King row, and plays on, such play shall be put back until the man be crowned.

The 'Huff' or 'Blow'

16. If a player fails to capture one or more men that he should have taken, his opponent, as penalty, may remove from the board the piece that should have captured. This is called the 'Huff' or 'Blow', and does not constitute a move.

17. The player has the power to huff, or compel the capture, or let the piece remain on the board, as he thinks best.

Arranging the Men during a Game

18. Either player is entitled, on giving intimation, to arrange his own or his opponent's pieces properly on the squares. After the first move has been made, however, if either player should touch or arrange without giving intimation to his opponent, he shall be cautioned for the first offence, and shall forfeit the game for any subsequent act of the kind.

Touch and Move

19. After the pieces have been arranged, if the person whose turn it is to play touches one, he must either play it or forfeit the game. When the piece is not playable, he forfeits according to the preceding law.

20. If any part of a playable piece is played over an angle of the square on which it is stationed, the play must be completed in that direction.

False or Improper Moves

21. If either player makes a false or improper move, he shall instantly forfeit the game to his opponent, without another move being made.

Drawn Games

22. A draw results when neither of the players can force a win. When one of the sides appears stronger than the other, the stronger party is required to complete the win, or to show, to the satisfaction of the umpire or referee, at least a decided advantage over his opponent within 40 of his own moves - to be counted from the point at which notice was given - failing in which, he must relinquish the game as a draw.

Won Games

23. A game is won when a player captures all his opponent's men, or renders them unable to move.

Time Limit to Moves

24. At the end of five minutes (if the play has not been previously been made) time must be called by the person appointed for that purpose, in a distinct manner; and if the play be not completed on the expiry of another minute, the game shall be adjudged to be lost through improper delay.

25. When there is only one way of taking one or more pieces, time shall be called at the end of one minute, and if the play be not completed on the expiry of another minute, the game shall be adjudged to be lost through improper delay.

Match Games

26. A match between equals, wins and draws to count, should consist of an even number of games, so that each player may have the first move the same number of times.

Enforcement of the Laws

27. Either player committing a breach of any of these laws must submit to the penalty, and his opponent is equally bound to exact the same.

Unforeseen Disputes

28. Should any dispute occur not satisfactorily determined by the preceding laws, a written statement of facts must be sent to a disinterested arbiter, having a knowledge of the game, whose decision shall be final.

Conduct of Players and Spectators

29. Anything which may tend to annoy or distract the attention of the player is strictly forbidden - such as making signs or sounds, pointing or hovering over the board, unnecessarily delaying to move a piece touched, or smoking. Any principal so acting, after having been warned of the consequence, & requested to desist, shall forfeit the game.

30. While a game is pending, neither player is permitted to leave the room without a sufficient reason, or receiving the other's consent or company.

31. Any spectator giving warning, either by sign, sound, or remark, on any of the games, whether played or pending, shall be ordered from the room during the match, and play may be discontinued until such offending person retires.

FINI - These rules were found in a 'Help' file for a Checkers (Draughts) game for the IBM PC. Pretty heavy, eh? Thougth it was 'Just Checkers...