• 1 - 8x8 Checker or Chess board
• 29 - black checkers or disks
• 29 - red checkers or disks

Player 1 takes one color of disks and one corner of the board. Player two takes the other color and the opposite corner of the board. Each player places their disks on the board as shown in figure 1.

Description of Figure 1:

In diagonal rows starting in the corner of the board:
Row 1 - One 4-disk stack,
Row 2 - Two 3-disk stacks,
Row 3 - Three 2-disk stacks,
Row 4 - Four 2-disk stacks,
Row 5 - Five 1-disk stacks.

Repeat for other color in the opposite corner of the board.

The number on each stack of disks denotes the number of disks stacked on that part of the board. Thus, a 4 denotes a stack of 4 disks, a 3 denotes a stack or 3 disks, etc.

Object of the Game

The object of the game is to capture your opponent's "King" (tallest stack of disks of a single color) before they can capture your King. If your opponent has more than one "King", you can capture any of your opponent's Kings.

Movement

Moving a Disk

A player may only move disks of their color. Thus, only the black player may move a black disk (whether it is alone on a square or the top disk on a stack). Conversely, only the red player may move red disks. Disks that are covered (not on the top of a stack or alone), can only be moved via "tumbling" as described below.

A disk may be moved in any direction including diagonal. For some examples of moving a single disk (Figure 2a) or moving the top disk on a stack (Figure 2b), refer to the following figures.

Tumbling a Stack of Disks

A player may "tumble" a stack of disks when their disk is on the top of the stack. Thus, the red player may tumble stacks of disks that have a red disk on top (regardless of the colors of disks in the stack). The same holds true for the black player.

A stack of disks can be "tumbled" in any direction. When a stack of disks is "tumbled," the whole stack of disks is "pushed over", with one disk landing in each progressive square.

Start by moving the whole stack one space in any direction (including diagonal). Then, leave the bottom disk (one disk) in the new space and move the remaining disks one more space in the same direction. Continue moving the stack in this fashion until there is only one disk remaining and the tumble is complete. Note that a "tumbling" stack of disks cannot change direction mid-tumble and must continue tumbling in the same direction.

Figure 3 shows an example of "tumbling" a four-disk stack to the right.

Description of Figure 3: Start by moving the entire stack one square to the right. Now, leave the bottom disk and move the top 3 disks to the second square. Once again leave the bottom disk (this time in the 2nd square) and move the top 2 disks to the third square. Leave the bottom disk in the third square and move the last and final disk to the fourth square. The tumble would then be complete.

Tumbling and the Edge of the Board

A "tumbling" stack of disks will halt its movement at the edge of the game board. This will result in a small stack of disks remaining in a square on the edge of the game board.

Figure 4a shows an example of a 4 disk "tumble" into the corner of the board. This results in 3 disks remaining "untumbled" in the corner square.

Figure 4b shows a 3 disk tumble onto another 3 disk stack. This results in a 6 disk stack and a new king.

Stack Size and Ownership

Moving and tumbling disks will change the size and ownership of the other stacks on the board. Increasing the size of your stacks can enable a future "tumble" and strike at your opponents King. Moving and tumbling can also be used to wrest ownership of a stack from your opponent. By covering a stack of disks with one of your own disks, you can take control of the stack of disks. Then your opponent can't "tumble" the stack.

Movement and Check

Similar to the game of Chess, when a player's move or "tumble" puts the opposing King in danger of being captured, the player must say "check" to alert the opponent.

Capturing a King

A King is captured when it is covered by an opposing player's disk or disks. Thus, when the black "King" is covered with one or more red disks, or one or more black disks cover a red "King", the King is captured. No matter how the king gets covered by an opponent's disk (via "tumbling", moving a single disk or other), it is captured.

In certain instances, however, the act of capturing the King will cause a different stack of disks to become the new King. For more information on Kings and changing Kings, refer to the section on Kings.

For some examples of capturing the King via moving a single disk (Figure 5a) or "tumbling" a stack of disks (Figure 5b), refer to the following Figures.

The King

The King is defined as the tallest stack of disks in a single color. Thus, the tallest stack of red disks is the red King and the tallest stack of black disks is the black King. Each player will begin the game with a 4-disk King in the corner of the board.

Since the tallest stack of disks can change as the game progresses, the King may also change as the game progresses. Both players will need to keep this in mind as they take their turns. If they move the wrong disk or tumble the wrong stack, they may inadvertently change their King to a different and more vulnerable stack of disks. However, changing the King can be a useful strategy for avoiding capture by your opponent.

Should a player end up with 2 or more "tallest stacks" of disks, each stack is considered a King that can be captured by your opponent. Regardless of the number of Kings on the board, your opponent need only capture a single King to win the game.

Keep in mind: a King must be comprised of the tallest stack of disks in a single color. Any tall stacks of disks comprised of disks in both colors are excluded and cannot be Kings.

Tumbling Down © copyright 2001 Michael Shuck.