dambrikke

A dambrikke is the playing piece used in the board game draughts, also called checkers, on the standard 8-by-8 checkered board. Each player starts with an equal number of dambrikker, typically placed on the dark squares of the first three ranks nearest that player. The pieces are usually round or disk-shaped and made from wood, plastic, or other materials, and they are differentiated by color.

In play, a dambrikke moves diagonally on dark squares. A standard piece can advance one square at a time only to an unoccupied diagonal square, and it captures by jumping over an adjacent opponent piece to a vacant square immediately beyond it. Captures are usually mandatory in many variants, and if more than one capture is available, players may be required to perform the sequence that captures the most pieces. A player may perform multiple captures in a single turn if the opportunity arises.

When a dambrikke reaches the farthest rank from its starting side, it is promoted to a dam (often called a king in English). A dam gains the ability to move and capture in both forward and backward diagonals. In some rule sets, a dam can also have enhanced movement options, such as sliding multiple squares, as seen in international draughts, but standard versions commonly retain single-step forward movement for kings with backward capability.

Terminology varies by language and variant. The term dambrikke generally refers to a regular, unpromoted piece, while the promoted piece is typically called a dam or king. Variants of draughts differ in movement, capture rules, and king behavior, but the dambrikke remains the fundamental unit of play across most forms.