Traditional Ghanaian game
Dame (Draughts)
Dame — roadside checkers, Ghanaian style
Crowned kings, forced captures, and the fiercest board battles on the street.
Play Dame (Draughts) here — you move first
Your move — tap a piece.
0W · 0L · 0D
Dame — international draughts on a 10×10 board, or English checkers on 8×8 — is Ghana’s thinking man’s duel. Under trees, outside kiosks, and at lorry stations, intense matches draw crowds of spectators who advise, argue, and celebrate every capture.
Ghana has produced strong international draughts players, and the local scene treats its champions like stars. Captures are compulsory, kings fly across the board, and a single blunder ends friendships for the afternoon.
The rules
- 1Played on a 10×10 board (international) with 20 pieces each, or 8×8 with 12 each. Dark squares only.
- 2Pieces move one square diagonally forward to an empty square.
- 3Captures are compulsory: jump over an adjacent enemy piece to the empty square beyond and remove it.
- 4Multiple jumps in one turn are allowed — and must all be taken.
- 5A piece reaching the far rank is crowned king and then moves any distance diagonally.
- 6Win by capturing all enemy pieces or blocking them so they cannot move.
How to play & win
- 1Control the centre — central pieces command the most squares.
- 2Keep your back rank intact as long as possible; holes there invite invasion.
- 3Count forced captures two moves deep before touching a piece — compulsory jumps create traps.
- 4Trade pieces when ahead; keep the position complicated when behind.
- 5Race to crown: a king against pieces is usually decisive.
- 6Study the “coup” shots — Ghanaian dame culture is full of famous forced-win combinations.
The cultural story
Roadside dame in Ghana is as much theatre as sport — kibitzing spectators are part of the game, and regular venues develop their own legends and rivalries. The game sharpens the tactical calculation prized in Ghanaian school mathematics, and inter-school dame competitions remain fiercely contested.
Dame (Draughts) FAQs
How do you win Dame (draughts)?
Capture all of your opponent’s pieces, or block them so they have no legal move left.
Are captures compulsory in Dame?
Yes. If a jump is available you must take it, including multiple jumps in one turn — which makes forced combinations (“coup shots”) decisive.
What is the difference between a piece and a king?
Ordinary pieces move one square diagonally forward. A piece that reaches the far rank is crowned king and then moves any distance diagonally.
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