All about kings: endgame mastery in checkers
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- čas přidán 23. 07. 2024
- Ah, kings in checkers. Kings are the most powerful piece, and it's a lot of fun once you have one (or many). But are you using your kings in the best way possible?
In this video, I dive deeper into strategy and tactics with kings, and go through common endgame scenarios you likely have come across. Some of them are tricky, and worth playing through multiple times. Thanks for watching! - Jak na to + styl
Great words at the end, about the need to have patience and practice the endgame positions a lot. Also, I agree that having our own boards to practice and experiment with the various possibilities is crucial, nothing replaces the real board and the pieces in our hands! Thank you Ryan! I also recommend practicing with a large board and big pieces, small boards make it more difficult, at least for me. Checkers kings are driving me crazy, ha ha!
Thank you very much, Sheila! When I first started studying checkers, I went right into the endgame, because I was tired of drawing winning positions, and losing drawing positions. I was not very good at handling kings, and I wanted to master and outplay my opponents in the endgame. In my study sessions, I would play over the same endgame positions again and again to have it embedded into my mind. It's one thing to watch a video, and you can certainly learn from it. But as you said as well, to actually play it out on a real board that is in front of you is the best way to truly understand these concepts. I appreciate you sharing your recommendation about practicing on larger boards, too. I completely agree with you! I used to have a small magnetic board, but I would not recommend studying these problems on it. A larger board would be much better suited. Don't get discouraged, Sheila -- you are doing great! The video I'll be publishing this weekend will focus on First Position, the most common endgame situation in checkers.
This is just what I was looking for, thank you! I was struggling with 3v2 when my oppo had both kings in the double corner. I see I can win but it's very tricky but I'll be spending hours with this video playing out all the positions shown in my own physical board with pieces.
I am glad you found it! Yes, I recommend playing through the different defenses on your own board to help visualize the different wins. I also recommend checking out my 4 kings vs 3 kings video, too!
@@azcheckers Thanks for your replies. I had also seen your 4v3 video and will look at it again.
I downloaded the book you recommended “Lees Guide” and finding it useful. Took a bit of getting used to as the ‘playing squares’ are white in all the diagrams and you always look from the white side of the board. This wasn’t explained in the book maybe they assumed everyone would know. I made a full size numbered draught board with card as I didn’t want to number my beloved old board which I have had for 60 years.
At present I play against the computer using ‘Checker Pro’ on my phone. I can just about hold my own at level 8. The package is professionally designed and the computer is clever most of the time but makes basic errors, if I can survive the opening I can usually win if I don’t get careless. At level 8 it plays instantly every time even if its move is complicated. It tends to make me play too fast and make mistakes but it doesn’t know how to win a 2v1 ending in the double corner so I often get a draw when it’s 1v2!
I played a lot at home and with friends between 1960 and 1975 in the West of Scotland. I never read a book because 1). Suitable books were very hard to find and 2) My uncle (who taught me to play [and win 2v1 in the double corner] but had never read a draughts book) said he once played a chap who ‘played by the book’ and he beat him easily! I did find a draughts book in the late 70s but it was way above my level but it made me realise I really knew nothing about the game though I could beat most people locally. In our home games the pieces were called ‘men’, the kings were called ‘crowns’ and the back row was called the ‘crown head’. An exchange was called ‘manning’ or ‘man for man’.
@@iandalziel8948 Thank you very much for sharing all of this, Ian! I enjoy hearing stories like this, and I'm sure there are many others that can relate to how they got started in checkers and where they are with the game today. I am not aware of the "Checker Pro" app you have on your phone -- I know there are many apps available that suffer from a lack of a good end game database, hence why they can't win 2 kings vs. 1!
For studying Lees' Guide, the openings I recommend studying initially are Old Fourteenth, Single Corner, and Glasgow. If you would ever like to play or practice, I occasionally play on playok.com.
@@azcheckers Thank you very much
Can a king move in any direction or does it have to jump one to move in any direction
Great video!
Thank you a lot :)
I am now learn the Opposition.Can you explain in a video pairing-off method?
Thank you! I have considered creating a video discussing "The Move" or "The Opposition." I think it is a more advanced concept, and is valuable when trying to avoid losing positions or creating winning positions late in games.
I do eventually plan on creating videos about First Position, Second Position, Third Position, etc., but since they are more advanced, it will likely be a video I'll record later in the future.
@@azcheckers
Thank you for your answer.Opposition is relevant in the openings ?
@@pedrorodrigues6581 No, not at all. That is a misnomer, and a lot of players (especially beginners, including me when I first started playing), put more emphasis than they should on The Opposition. It's only relevant in the late midgame and endgame.
azcheckers Thank you!
Was playing checkers with my 6 year old daughter, and found myself in a situation where I could take one of her pieces and as the result become a king, which then gave me a way to take two more of her pieces by moving backwards.. can this be done in one move or would I have to stop after my piece became a king and wait till my next turn to get those pieces? Hope my question makes sense?
Hello, Alex! It's a great question and one I come across quite a bit. Once your piece enters the opposing king row, whether through a jumping sequence or otherwise, your turn ends. So after jumping into the king row, your piece becomes a king, and your turn ends. Once it is your turn again, if the opportunity is still there to jump pieces with your king, then you can take them. Thanks again for your question!
Sir can i ask? king in checkers can be eat, backward then forward on one move? For example king brown between king white and normal piece on center of the field. Then the king brown eats king white backward then he moves forward to eat the normal piece. That is possible sir in one move?
Hello! Yes, it is possible for a king to jump forward and backward in one turn. A king cannot fly across the board as in 10x10, Russian, and other variants of checkers. But it can jump as a regular piece would, only it can go forward and backward. I hope this clarifies!
nw i will never let my opponent draw in an endgame when im up a piece, thnx, great explanation
I know you posted a vid of this years ago but I still have trouble winning when my opponent has 2 pieces in opposite corners vs my 3...
Hi Dena, yes this ending isn't easy. You can find this video under my end game playlist. Hopefully it will help you in when you come across that situation!
3:40 I have a book that says that instead of 19-23 you can play 18-15, but it doesn't give the full continuation. Do you know it?
Hi Carlos -- yes, the 19-23 is typically regarded in most texts as a timer waster, but grandmaster Richard Pask notes it's actually the most efficient way to win! The 18-15 will also win, with the objective to pin your opponent in the double corner and later exchange to reduce the pieces to a 2 on 1 ending.
@@azcheckers yes the book I'm reading is by him, but I just found another one in which the 18-15 lines are given and it's really interesting. Two of those lines lead to the second position in this video.
@@carlosmariosuarez5319 Yes, exactly! The 18-15 is just a slightly less economical way to complete the win. But it works, nonetheless!
How to win when I have 1 king and opponent has 4 kings?
Is there such thing as a Triple king or and a Quad King, I've heard people say triple kings exist, But is it true? If so What can a Triple King do that a normal King Can't?
Not in this game. Once a piece becomes a king, it cannot become anything else. I've read of a game developed out of an Ivy League school (Harvard, maybe?) in which triple kings and quad kings do exist. In that game, the kings can fly and teleport across the board.
@@azcheckers hi i have a request pls make a video on how to draw losing possitions even if we down a checker that will help a lot
@@IamHamzaAthar Thank you for the suggestion! I think that would be a great idea for a video, and I'll plan on making it. My next two videos will focus on a superscientific position and the importance transpositions.
@@azcheckers just cant wait you are the only good checkers youtuber left. I miss checkercycle a lot
@@IamHamzaAthar I miss checkercycle, too, and I do hope he makes more videos in the future. I am definitely not trying to replace him, but I am trying to fill a bit of a void, as I haven't found many English checkers / draughts tutorial videos on CZcams.
i dont understand sometimes when people say the game is over even though there are still pieces on the board. Is it a rule if like you have more kings than the opponent (ex. 2-1)that it's a loss? or are you saying like, pretty much inevitably, they're gonna lose?
Yes, although it all depends on the class of players that are competing. For example, if two beginners are playing, then 2 kings vs 1, 3 vs 2, 4 vs 3, should still win every time, but it's not a foregone conclusion. However, when you move up the ranks, then those ending situations rarely even take place because it is a foregone conclusion. In fact, going down a piece in the mid game, or even earlier than that, typically spells doom and resignation is in order.
You bring up a good point -- I should say that the game is over when a "competent player" is handling the winning side. I don't know of better wording or phrasing other than that. Thank you for watching, and for your feedback -- it is appreciated!
@@azcheckers no problem. I've always been into Checkers along with my family, and I have outskilled them so I stopped playing. Now though, my interest in it has rekindled and wanna get into it again. I was just a little confused. Thank You though! It really did help.
I'm not too sure how you could concisely say that within 1 sentence. Maybe you could put it in description? Or maybe if you make a super indepth guide on how to play one day, you could throw that in? I'm not too sure haha! sorry
@@juanbejarano62 This is great feedback! Are you playing online or playing competition that are closer to your skill level? And yes, I agree with you -- I've been thinking about creating an intro video (that viewers see when they first find my channel) that covers the most essential pieces of information. I do have "A beginner's guide to winning at checkers" video, but you may be too advanced for it.
Believe it or not, the biggest confusion involves the style of checkers. I am aware of many variations of checkers, but I only discuss English checkers / draughts. So no flying kings or jumping backward in this game.
He may have given you a long paragraph but I'm still pretty sure it's just trash talk.
Like I Have 2 kings And My Opponent has 1 King So I Tried A Lot Time To Cut Him And I Couldn't.. The Game Is Going For a Long Time .... So Its A Draw Match Or Who Is The winner?
If you are playing with the rule of flying kings, then the game is probably a draw. But if you are playing with the rules of this game, then you ultimately want to corner your opponent in either the single or double corner.
How do I pressure them into that position to win?
The key is to use your king majority and ultimately corral your opponent into either a single corner (less mobility) or double corner (more resistance). Once you are able to do that, then you will be able to deploy the tactics shown in this video. Hope that helps!
azcheckers btw is it possible to win a 1 versus 3?
@@brienYT Great question -- in an open or closed position, then no. However, in a jumping sequence in which the one king is jumping over 3 pieces (kings or not) to win, then yes.
Can a king jump his own king then an opponents king
Unfortunately it cannot! Kings can only jump your opponent's pieces and not your own.
Ah I see, Cramping everywhere there always has to be a magical exchange somewhere. Magical smh i'm kicking myself.
It's not easy to see! It helps to have repetition and practice on your own board in order to really master this ending.
@@azcheckersagreed! Thats my next task to buy a physical board
@@producingfire I highly recommend it! Finding a board with numbers is something I would recommend initially as well!
Nice video to watch
Thank you! I'll be back to discussing openings again soon.
azcheckers 12:59 you said game is over how when you have move from 20 to 24
@@abdulmalikrufai2837 Great catch! You are absolutely correct! 20-24 is a safe, sound move, and will still win, even though it is not the most straight forward attack. I completely missed that during editing, but I am glad you saw it! I will make a mention / correction in my next video.
azcheckers I’m still learning how to play
@@abdulmalikrufai2837 Very good -- I hope my videos have been helpful and accelerated your learning.