Movement
The rules mention men and kings. A king is a promoted man. If the difference doesn't matter, they may also mention pieces, for instance 'the number of pieces on the board'.
On the board there are squares and lines. These are always dark squares and oblique lines, like the 'e-line' or the '5-line'. A square is identified as the intersection of two lines. The 1- and 0-line each count but one square. The five most distant squares from a player's point of view are called the back rank.
A full explanation of diagonal coordination (as opposed to traditional) is given in the notation section.

Initial positionThe diagram shows the board and the pieces in initial position. There are two players, black and white. White begins. Players move - and must move - in turn.

Object
If a player has no legal move he loses the game. This may come about either by being eliminated or being blocked completely.

Movement
Capture has precedence over a non-capturing move. If the player to move has no capture to make, he has the following options:

  • Moving a man
  • Moving a king

A king is a promoted man.

A man moves one square forward along a line, provided it is vacant. If a man ends its move on the back rank, it promotes to king. A king moves any distance of free squares along an open line.