Alquerque is an ancient board game originating from the middle east, or possibly Spain, at some point prior to the 10th century. You may also know this game as Qirkat, El-Quirkat, or Al-Qirq. The rules are somewhat similar to checkers, but, as with many ancient games, the rules varied throughout time and the historical documentation is minimal. I think Ive reconstructed enough of the rules to make an enjoyable game.
Other names/spellings that Ive seen:
Al-quirkat
Alquerc
Alquerques
LAlquerque
Quirkat
How To Play
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The game is played on a 5x5 board with all orthogoal lines and some diagonal lines. Each player starts with 12 pieces in play, leaving the center spot open.
A piece can jump over and capture an opponents piece, landing on the open spot behind -- but only along the lines and only sideways and forwards. A piece can jump multiple opponent pieces in a single turn. Jump moves are mandatory. If multiple jumps are available, you may freely pick between them.
If no jump moves are available, a piece can slide one space along a line, but only sideways and forwards. A piece is not allowed to slide back to the spot it previously occupied; this eliminates the possibility of draws due to endless repetition.
Unlike checkers, if a piece reaches the back row, it does not become a "king". After moving to the back row it may only jump or slide sideways, subject to the restriction against sliding to the spot it previously occupied.
You can win by capturing all your opponents pieces or by leaving them with no moves. There are no draws.
Although huffing (removing pieces that failed to jump when required) is often listed as one of the rules for Alquerque, I have chosen not to implement this. This rule change is similar to how tournament checkers is played today.
In single player mode, the difficulty level will automatically increase or decrease as you win or lose. You can also manually adjust the difficulty level and then lock it into place to prevent it from automatically adjusting.
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Ancient Games by BubbaJoe
which is a collection of all my board games and includes support for Apple TV.