“You’ll have to do better than that,” Rance said with a grin as he slid one of his pieces across the board.
“I wasn’t finished thinking,” James replied.
Rain tapped gently against the windows while the Whitaker family gathered around the great room fireplace. Earlier that winter, Father had painted a draughts board on a smooth wooden plank. Will had cut round playing pieces from a tree branch, then stained half of them dark with walnut hulls while leaving the others their natural color.
“It’s your move,” Stacy reminded James.
In draughts, each player tried to capture the other player’s pieces by moving diagonally across the board. If a piece reached the far side, it became a king and could move both forward and backward, making it much harder to trap.
James studied the board.
“I’ve got it!”
He jumped one of Rance’s pieces.
“Rats!” Rance said with a grin. “I missed that.”
A few turns later, James reached the last row.
“King me!” he shouted.
Will carefully placed another wooden piece on top of James’s checker to show it had become a king.
Before long, James won the game.
“I did it!”
Rance laughed as he gathered the pieces.
“Looks like we’ve got a new champion.”
Clarabelle stepped forward with a smile.
“My turn!”
The Whitaker children had their own way of keeping the games exciting. Whoever won stayed at the board while the next brother or sister stepped up to play. The champion kept playing until someone finally defeated them.
Clarabelle almost won, but James captured her last piece.
“Still champion!” James cheered.
Stacy sat down across from him.
“We’ll see about that.”
The game was close. Back and forth the pieces moved until Stacy crowned her own king.
James leaned closer.
“So did I.”
One careful move later, Stacy smiled.
“Game.”
James laughed as he tipped over his king.
“I guess you’re the champion now.”
Stacy gathered the pieces while Will grinned.
“My turn!”
Soon every Whitaker child had taken a turn trying to become the champion. Laughter filled the great room until Mother smiled from the hearth.
“Supper’s ready!”
The children carefully stacked the homemade playing pieces beside the wooden board, already wondering who would wear the champion’s crown the next rainy day.
Did You Know?
In Britain, the game is called draughts, although many people in North America know it as checkers. Families often made their own game boards from scraps of wood, and playing pieces could be carved from branches, cut from wooden dowels, or made from other simple materials found around the farm. A homemade game like this could bring a family together for years.
The 1885 Historical Connection
The year 1885 marked an important milestone in the history of international draughts. That year, France hosted the first World Championship, where French player Anatole Dussaut became the game’s first world champion. While the Whitaker family would have played the English version of draughts on an 8×8 board, players on the Continent were helping shape what would become the international game.
How to Play Draughts
Draughts is a game for two players. Each player begins with 12 pieces placed on the dark squares of the three rows closest to them.
The Goal
Capture all of your opponent’s pieces or block them so they cannot make another move.
Moving
- Pieces move one dark square diagonally forward.
- Only one piece may occupy a square at a time.
Capturing
- If an opponent’s piece is directly next to yours and the square beyond it is empty, you must jump over it.
- The jumped piece is removed from the board.
- If another jump is possible, continue jumping during the same turn.
Becoming a King
When one of your pieces reaches the far side of the board, it becomes a King.
A King may move and capture both forward and backward, making it much more powerful.
Winning
The game ends when one player has:
- Captured all of the opponent’s pieces, or
- Left the opponent with no legal move.
A Whitaker Family Tradition
In 1885, an evening game of draughts was a favorite pastime for many rural families. Around the Whitakers’ kitchen table, careful thinking, friendly competition, and cheerful conversation often lasted long after the chores were finished.
Welcome to Peckles-Wood Shire
Thank you for visiting Peckles-Wood Shire. We hope your journey through 1885 brings wonder to every road you travel.
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