Laska

About this board game

Laska is a two-player board game played in about 30 minutes on a 7×7 board. Developed by World Chess Champion Emanuel Lasker in 1911, it belongs to the Checkers Family and was influenced by Bashni.

Each player begins with eleven soldiers. Soldiers move diagonally forward one space, but captures are compulsory whenever one is available. Unlike in ordinary checkers-style play, a captured piece is not removed from the board: it is trapped underneath the capturing soldier.

This stacking rule gives every capture a lasting effect. If the newly captured piece already has one or more pieces beneath it, those pieces are freed and can move again on future turns. Pieces can therefore remain part of the game even after being captured, creating a changing arrangement of soldiers and captured stacks across the board.

• Two-player play on a 7×7 board
• Mandatory captures when available
• Captured pieces remain beneath the capturing piece
• Pieces reaching the opponent’s back row become officers

When a soldier reaches the opponent’s back row, it is flipped and promoted to an officer. Officers can move diagonally in all directions, giving promoted pieces movement that soldiers do not have.

The game ends when a player cannot move or has no pieces remaining on the board. In either situation, that player loses. With its forward-moving soldiers, all-direction officers, and captured pieces that may be freed later, Laska offers a distinctive take on the checkers tradition.