Shashki
BGG rank
BGG #19,400
BGG rating
6.6

Shashki

1680

Rules assistance for Shashki

Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

  • 2 players
  • 30 min
  • 6+
  • Complexity 1.7/5

For 2 players

Rules assistant for Shashki

What would you like to know?

Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.

Shashki is a board game released in 1680 for 2 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. Its main mechanics are Square Grid, Grid Movement, and Pattern Movement.

Similar games

About the game

The Russian form of Checkers The rules differ in several ways from other forms, making it a distinct game. Shashki is played on the black fields of an 8x8 board. A man (Шашка) moves forwards only, but it can capture forwards and backwards. Men are promoted to kings (Дамка, actually meaning lady) upon reaching the back row. If this happens within a capture, the piece is promoted, too, and must, if possible, carry on capturing as a king. Kings fly in movement and capture. A move may not end when there is still a capture possible, but there is no need to choose the path with the maximum number of captures. The game ends when a player cannot move, either because his pieces are blocked or because he lost them all. Shashki was the dominant game in Russia before the rise of Chess. It is still very popular and played in tournaments. There is a plethora of variants, some of which, notably Bashni (column Shashki) and Shashki Poddavki (give-away Shashki), are played in tournaments as well.

Questions and answers

Shashki supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.