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<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en-us">
<title>Games of Soldiers - ALQUERQUE</title>
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript" src="board2diag/board2diag.js"></SCRIPT>
<script LANGUAGE="JavaScript" src="hex2diag/hex2diag.js"></script>
</head>
<body background="ricebk.jpg" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#666633" vlink="#333366" alink="#990000">
<blockquote>
<h1 align="center"><strong><font face="Arial Black">THE ALQUERQUE FAMILY</font></strong></h1>
<p align="center"><strong><font size="3">Traditional</font></strong></p>
<font FACE="Times New Roman">
<blockquote>
<p align="justify"><i>Draughts is a very ancient game indeed, the origins of which, like Chess, aren't completely clear. However, early
forms of Alquerque, its venerable ancestor,
have been found in Egypt dating at least as
early as 600BC. Alquerque boards can be seen carved
into the stone slabs which form the roof of the great temple
at Kurna, Egypt, which was built in 1400BC (of course, they
might have been carved at any point since). The game of Alquerque
was played like Draughts on a 5 x 5 point board with the
pieces starting in a non-symmetrical pattern. The game clearly had
staying power - it is mentioned under the name of Quirkat in the
Arabic work Kitab-al Aghani, the author of which died in 976 AD.
Quirkat was first brought to Europe by the Moors during their
invasion of Spain. It was recorded as Alquerque (Spanish form
of El-Quirkat) in the Alfonso X Manuscript which was written
between 1251 - 1282 at the command of Alfonso X, King of
Leon and Castile.</i><font size="2"> [From
<a href="https://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Draughts.htm">https://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Draughts.htm</a>]</font></p>
</blockquote>
</font>
<p align="left"><font size="3" face="Arial"><b>Alquerque</b> is played on the following
5x5 square board:</font></p>
<center>
<table border="1" width="120" cellspacing="1" bordercolorlight="#333366" bordercolordark="#000000">
<tr>
<td width="100%" background="back-board.jpg" align="center">
<script LANGUAGE="JavaScript">boardgv2diag("lurd,5,5,*.*.*/.*.*./*.*.*/.*.*./*.*.*");</script>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>
<p><font size="3" face="Arial">where the stones are placed in the following way:</font></p>
<center>
<table border="1" width="120" cellspacing="1" bordercolorlight="#333366" bordercolordark="#000000">
<tr>
<td width="100%" background="back-board.jpg" align="center">
<script LANGUAGE="JavaScript">boardgv2diag("lurd,5,5,wwwww/wwwww/xx*ww/xxxxx/xxxxx");</script>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>
<br>
<font size="3" face="Arial">There is no general agreement about what were the
rules of Alquerque. These next rules are a possible interpretation:</font>
<br>
<table border="0" width="80%">
<tr>
<td width="100%">
<ul>
<li><font size="3" face="Arial"><b>MOVE</b>
- Stones may move to one empty cell through the lines displayed on
the board.</font>
</li>
<li><font size="3" face="Arial"><b>CAPTURE</b>
- A stone capture by jumping to the opposite cell of the captured
stone (if there is a straight line connecting those 3 cells, and the
final cell is empty).</font>
<ul>
<li><font size="3" face="Arial">After
the first capture, the stone may continue to jump (not
necessarily on the same direction) until there is no more
captures to be done.</font></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><font
size="3" face="Arial"><strong>GOAL</strong> - Wins the player that
captures all enemy stones, or with the greater number of stones, if no
more captures are possible.</font></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<font size="3" face="Arial">The rule that state the captures are mandatory is
more recent, and together with the use of a Chess board to play Alquerque,
produced in Medieval Europe (around AD 1100) the game of <a href="checkers.htm">Checkers</a>.
</font>
<p><font size="3" face="Arial">More information about Alquerque can be found
<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20011218082621/http:/www.weylea.demon.co.uk/farisles/games/alquerq.htm">here</a>.</font>
</p>
<p><font size="3" face="Arial">There are several other possible boards. There is
the quintuple Alquerque:</font></p>
<center>
<table border="1" width="164" cellspacing="1" bordercolorlight="#333366" bordercolordark="#000000">
<tr>
<td width="100%" background="back-board.jpg" align="center">
<script LANGUAGE="JavaScript">boardgv2diag("lurd,7,7,zz*.*zz/zz.*.zz/*.*.*.*/.*.*.*./*.*.*.*/zz.*.zz/zz*.*zz");</script>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>
<p><font size="3" face="Arial">The center board starts empty, and each half of
the board is covered with stones of the same color, like in Alquerque.</font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Arial"><a name="awithlaknannai"></a>Many other games of the same family exists around
the world, with different boards, but with the same game mechanism.
<b>Awithlaknannai</b> (see next game) in Central America, <b>Egara Guti</b> and
<b>Lau Kati Kata</b> in India <i><a href="zrfs/Indian_War_games.zip">
<img border="0" src="file:///C:/Users/jpn3t/Documents/GitHub/world_abstract_games/icons/z.gif" width="11" height="11"></a></i> or
<b>Felli/Fetaix</b> <i><a href="zrfs/Fetaix.zip">
<img border="0" src="file:///C:/Users/jpn3t/Documents/GitHub/world_abstract_games/icons/z.gif" width="11" height="11"></a>
</i>in Morocco, <b>Permainan-Tabal </b><i><a href="zrfs/Permainan-Tabal.zip">
<img border="0" src="file:///C:/Users/jpn3t/Documents/GitHub/world_abstract_games/icons/z.gif" width="11" height="11"></a></i>
from Indonesia. <font face="Arial">Murray in his book "<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0198274017">A
history of board-games other than chess</a>" have more than 40 regional
variants.</font></font></p>
<center>
<table border="1" width="480" cellspacing="1" bordercolorlight="#333366" bordercolordark="#000000">
<tr>
<td width="100%" background="back-board.jpg">
<script LANGUAGE="JavaScript">
hexgv2diag("16,17,16,xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/.wwwwwww.xxxxxxx./wwwwwwwwwwwwwwww");
</script>
</td>
</tr>
</table><font size="3" face="Arial"><i>Awithlaknannai</i></font>
</center>
<p><font size="3" face="Arial">
<a name="kolowisi"></a><b>Kolowisi Awithlaknannai</b> is a traditional game of Native American tribe Zuni.
"Kolowisi Awithlaknannai" means "Fighting snake". Kolowisi
is a mythic snake. The goal is to capture all enemy stones. White begins. First,
White has to move one of his stones on the cell in the middle. Then, black can
jump over the stone on the middle cell and capture it or move another stone.
Afterwards, players alternate turns. A stone can be moved on an adjacent empty
cell, or it can jump over (capturing) enemy stones. Multiple jumps are allowed.
</font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Arial"><a name="vietnam"></a>Another related game is "<b>Vietnam Chess</b>"
(this may not be the original name) played in the Alquerque board with the following setup:</font></p>
<center>
<table border="1" width="120" cellspacing="1" bordercolorlight="#333366" bordercolordark="#000000">
<tr>
<td width="100%" background="back-board.jpg" align="center">
<script LANGUAGE="JavaScript">boardgv2diag("lurd,5,5,ggGgg/ggggg/gg*bb/bbbbb/bbBbb");</script>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>
<p><font size="3" face="Arial">All pieces can move to adjacent (along the lines)
empty cells. Kings can jump over an adjacent friendly soldier landing on the
immediate cell which must be occupied by an enemy piece (which is captured).
Captures are not mandatory and soldiers cannot capture. The goal is to capture
the enemy King.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial"><a name="dablot"></a><b>Dablot Prejjesne</b> </font>
<font size="3" face="Arial"><i><a href="zrfs/DablotPrejjesne.zip">
<img border="0" src="icons/z.gif" width="11" height="11"></a> </i> </font>
<font face="Arial">is the Lapland regional variant of Alquerque. </font></p>
<p align="center">
<img border="0" src="icons/Dablot_Prejjesne.gif" width="293" height="343"></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Arial">Mats Winther's
<a href="http://mlwi.magix.net/bg/dablot.htm">description</a>: </font></p>
<blockquote>
<p align="justify"><font size="3" face="Arial"><i>Goal is either
to capture the enemy king or reduce his forces so that only the king remains.
All pieces move by single steps and can capture, by the short leap, in all
directions. The soldier (“dårake”) can only step in the three forward
directions. Promotion does not occur. For the soldier, capture is mandatory. For
the king (“gånneka”) and prince (“gånnekan alke”), capture is optional. One can
only capture a piece of the same rank or lower. Pieces are ranked in this order:
king, prince, and soldier.<br><br>A piece moves to an empty adjacent point. If an adjacent point is occupied by an
enemy piece, of the same rank or lower, and the point directly behind is vacant,
then one may jump over it and capture it, as in checkers. Several pieces may be
captured like this in a single turn.</i></font></p>
</blockquote>
<p><font face="Arial"><a name="damiano"></a><b>Damiano</b>
</font><font size="3" face="Arial"><i><a href="zrfs/Damiano.zip">
<img border="0" src="icons/z.gif" width="11" height="11"></a> </i> </font>
<font face="Arial">is a checker variant played in an extended Alquerque board</font></p>
<p align="center">
<img border="0" src="icons/damiano.gif" width="223" height="223"></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Mats Winther's words: <i>While the pattern restricts piece
movement one can introduce orthogonal movement without making the game too
complicated. The idea is to propose a less forced form of Checkers. Pieces move
forward, either straight or diagonally. They may capture (jump) only diagonally
forwards (like in Checkers). Goal is to capture all the opponent's pieces.
Pieces are promoted to kings at the last rank. Kings move and capture in all
directions. Capture is obligatory. Stalemate is a loss. </i>The game starts with
the initial two rows of each player filled with friendly stones.</font></p>
<p><a name="zamma"></a><font face="Arial">Also on his site
<a href="http://mlwi.magix.net/bg/zamma.htm">there is the mention</a> of <b>Zamma </b></font>
<font size="3" face="Arial"><i><a href="zrfs/Zamma.zip">
<img border="0" src="icons/z.gif" width="11" height="11"></a></i></font><font face="Arial">:</font></p>
<p align="center">
<img border="0" src="icons/zamma.gif" width="287" height="289"></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Mats Winther's</font> <font face="Arial">words:<i>
</i></font></p>
<blockquote>
<p align="justify"><font face="Arial"><i>Zamma (Damma,
Srand, Dhamet) is played on a quadruple Alquerque pattern (Arabic Alquerque is
the forefather of checkers). The Zamma board is quite old. It is believed to be
the precursor of the Alquerque board pattern. A Zamma board survives among the
roof-slab scribings at Kurna (c. 1400 BCE). However, the present version of
Zamma is believed to rely heavily on developments in draughts since the 17th
century (a supposition that could be challenged). It is still played in North
Africa, where the black pieces are called men, and the white pieces are called
women. When played in the Sahara, the men are represented by short sticks,
whilst the women are pieces of camel dung. Black makes the first move. <br><br>This game is called Srand (or Dhamet) in Mauritania, where it is the national
game. In the particular variant played the captured counters are removed
instantly from the board. In other variants the removal of captured pieces is
deferred. <br><br>Pieces are obliged to follow the pattern on the board. They can only move in the
forward directions, however, they can make multiple captures, by the short leap,
in any direction. Goal is to capture all the opponent's pieces. Note that one
must always choose the line with the most captures. Pieces are promoted to
Mullahs (also called Sultans) at the last rank. If the counter, during a
capturing sequence, makes an intermediate landing on a promotion square, it does
not promote to Mullah. The Mullah moves and captures in all directions. It can
move any number of squares, like the King in international draughts, and land
anywhere behind the captured piece. In one variant it cannot jump repeatedly
over an enemy piece, in another variant it can (that is, the captured piece has
already been removed). Capture is compulsory. <br><br>A piece moves to an empty adjacent point. If an adjacent point is occupied by an
enemy piece and the point directly behind is vacant, then one must jump over it
and capture it, as in checkers. Several pieces may be captured like this in a
single turn.<br><br>By way of combinations one must try to attain material advantage, by exchanging
one piece for two, or two for three, etc. In the endgame, material advantage
generally leads to a win. Mullahs are very powerful, and one can sacrifice
pieces to achieve promotion. Remember that men standing on the diagonal matrix
have greater scope. <br><br>This is an intriguing checkers variant. The counters have different scope
depending on which squares they are positioned. On half of the squares they can
capture in eight directions, in the other half they can capture in four
directions and move in only one. The board pattern allows this freedom of
capture directions while half of the diagonals are removed, compared with a
checkers board. Possibly this game carries some advantages compared with
international draughts, which has become very drawish in grandmaster quarters.
</i></font></p>
</blockquote>
<p><a name="kharbaga"></a><font face="Arial">Another related game is <b>Kharbaga</b> </font>
<font size="3" face="Arial"><i><a href="zrfs/Kharbaga.zip">
<img border="0" src="icons/z.gif" width="11" height="11"></a>. </i>Again, </font><font face="Arial">Mats Winther's</font> <font face="Arial">
words:</font></p>
<blockquote>
<p align="justify"><i><font face="Arial">Kharbaga belongs to the Zamma
family. It is an African checkers variant played on a special pattern that
is different from the well-known Alquerque pattern. Whereas the Alquerque
pattern reduces the number of diagonals, the Kharbaga pattern reduces the
number of orthogonals. The result is a different game dynamic. It is a very
attractive checkers variant, not the least drawish. Although the number of
squares is only 42, the many movement freedoms of the pieces make it a
complex game.<br>
<br>
Counters are obliged to follow the pattern on the board. The pieces can step
in the three forward directions, and capture, by the short leap, in all
directions. Goal is to capture all the opponent's counters. Counters are
promoted to Mullahs (Sultans) at the last rank. If the counter, during a
capturing sequence, makes an intermediate landing on a promotion square, it
does not promote to Mullah. The Mullah moves and captures in all directions.
It can move any number of squares, like the King in international draughts,
and land anywhere behind a captured piece. Capture is obligatory. Two types
of variants have been implemented, one in which captured counters stay on
the board until the capturing sequence has ended, and one in which counters
are removed instantly. Note that one must always choose the line with the
most captures.<br>
<br>
A counter moves to an empty adjacent point. If an adjacent point is occupied
by an enemy counter and the point directly behind is vacant, then one must
jump over it and capture it, as in checkers. Several pieces may be captured
like this in a single turn.</font></i></p>
</blockquote>
<p><a name="fetach"></a><font face="Arial"><b>Fetach</b> (Quireq) is a Moroccan variant. According to the
Ludii <a href="https://ludii.games/details.php?keyword=Fetach">website</a>: <i>5x5 intersecting lines with diagonals drawn in each
quadrant. Twelve pieces per player, which begin on the rows closest to the
player and the two spots to the right of the central point, leaving the central
point open. Players alternate turns moving the pieces along the lines of the
board. The first play is from one of the pieces directly above or below the
central point. Pieces cannot move backwards. A player may capture an opponent's
piece by hopping over it to an empty spot immediately adjacent to the opponent's
piece on the opposite side, along the lines of the board. Pieces which reach the
opposite edge of the board from where they started are promoted and can move and
capture any distance along the two large diagonals of the board. The player who
captures all of the opponent's pieces wins.</i></font></p>
<p><a name="tuknanavuhpi"></a><font face="Arial"><b>
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/432798/tuknanavuhpi">Tuknanavuhpi</a></b>
is a traditional game played by tribes in Arizona and other close tribes. The
Alquerque-like game could have been introduced by Spanish people 500 years ago.</font></p>
<p align="center">
<img border="0" src="icons/Tuknanavuhpi.png" width="300" height="266"></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Arial">The game is referenced at Culin's <i>Games of
North American Indians,</i> from 1907:</font></p>
<p align="center">
<img border="0" src="icons/Tuknanavuhpi_Culin.gif" width="567" height="738"></p>
<p><a name="politics"></a><font face="Arial">A modern game inspired by Alquerque is
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/153635/politics">Politics</a>, a
game from 1893:</font></p>
<p align="center">
<img border="0" src="icons/Politics.jpg" width="229" height="232"></p>
<p><font face="Arial">The game description at BGG: <i>The two players have
different colored pieces. There are three sizes of game piece; each player has
two statesmen (large,) four politicians (medium,) and six voters (small,) for a
total of twelve, referred to as that player's phalanx.<br>
<br>
The game begins with players taking turns placing any one of their pieces on any
one station. Like Mill, when a player is able to line up three of his pieces in
a row, he is then entitled to remove one of his opponent's pieces, but in the
case of this game, only voters may be removed in this fashion. Unlike Mill,
pieces in Politics may jump and capture each other as in Checkers, in any
direction, once the initial placement phase is concluded. A piece may only jump
a like-sized or smaller piece. To win, one must reduce the opponent to only two
pieces, or to immobilize his remaining pieces.</i></font></p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
</body>
</html>