Алқырқа: Ежелгі стратегиялық ойын

Board game

Alquerque (also known as qirkat from القرقات) is a strategy board game that is thought to have originated in the Middle East. It is considered to be the parent of draughts (US: checkers) and Fanorona and the diagonals of its grid are the predecessor of the checkering of the draughts board.

The game first appears in literature late in the 10th century when Abu al Faraj al Isfahani mentioned qirkat in his 24 volume work Kitab al Aghani ("Book of Songs"). This work, however, made no direct mention of the rules of the game, most likely because it is poetry and they would have been common knowledge in the context the book originated in. In Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations, R. C. Bell writes that "when the Moors invaded Spain they took El quirkat with them". Rules are included in Libro de los juegos ("Book of games") commissioned by Alfonso X of Castile in the 13th century. Spanish settlers in New Mexico introduced a four player variant of alquerque to the Zuni.

Before starting, each player places their twelve pieces in the two rows closest to them and in the two rightmost spaces in the center row. The game is played in turns, with one player taking white and the other black. A piece can move from its point to any empty adjacent point that is connected by a line. A piece can jump over an opposing piece and remove it from the game, if that opposing piece is adjacent and the point beyond it is empty. Multiple capturing jumps are permitted, and indeed compulsory if possible. If a capture is possible it must be made, or else the piece is removed (or huffed). The goal of the game is to eliminate the opponent's pieces.