Why is capturing mandatory?

[Knightmare]

Hello.
I am totally new to checkers/draughts.
I have just learned the rules today, and I have a question about a specific rule: why is capturing mandatory?
What would happen if we changed the rules so that capturing is optional like any normal move? Would the game become completely unplayable?
Thanks in advance for your answers.

[MLWi]

It allows for combinations, which is what makes the game exciting. You can forcibly remove a defending piece this way. It imitates warfare, where a defender must engage an attacker on one front, which will weaken him on another front (after all, the attacker cannot be ignored). The attacker will then launch an attack on the weakened front.

In International draughts (unlike in Anglo-Saxon checkers) it is mandatory to capture the longest line. This opens up even more combinatorial possibilities.

Incidentally, the oldest type of capture is interception capture, where two pieces must surround an enemy piece to capture it.
/Mats

[Symix]

You can learn more on the Pool and Jamaican checkers here http://poolcheckers.com
This site promotes several changes such as alphanumeric (chess) notation and white move first, standard on both Russian and Brazilian sister games. Aurora Borealis already adapted, so did FMJD in its PDN format and Diagram Maker as well as its http://playdraughts.com server. http://poolcheckers.com is the headquarters site affiliated with two African sites.
Both Jamaican and African players use the new format, I encourage you to set your program's default to it and offer the American Pool Checkers notation/black site first move as an option.

Jake Kacher
site editor

[MLWi]

You can learn more on the Pool and Jamaican checkers here http://poolcheckers.com
This site promotes several changes such as alphanumeric (chess) notation and white move first, standard on both Russian and Brazilian sister games. Aurora Borealis already adapted, so did FMJD in its PDN format and Diagram Maker as well as its http://playdraughts.com server. http://poolcheckers.com is the headquarters site affiliated with two African sites.
Both Jamaican and African players use the new format, I encourage you to set your program's default to it and offer the American Pool Checkers notation/black site first move as an option.

Jake Kacher
site editor

What does this mean "white moves first"? Is it merely that the first player shall have the white pieces? My software offers this as an alternative, although I have the old black and red pieces as first option.

Mats

[Symix]

You can learn more on the Pool and Jamaican checkers here http://poolcheckers.com
This site promotes several changes such as alphanumeric (chess) notation and white move first, standard on both Russian and Brazilian sister games. Aurora Borealis already adapted, so did FMJD in its PDN format and Diagram Maker as well as its http://playdraughts.com server. http://poolcheckers.com is the headquarters site affiliated with two African sites.
Both Jamaican and African players use the new format, I encourage you to set your program's default to it and offer the American Pool Checkers notation/black site first move as an option.

Jake Kacher
site editor

What does this mean "white moves first"? Is it merely that the first player shall have the white pieces? My software offers this as an alternative, although I have the old black and red pieces as first option.

Mats

Sorry, just saw your reply Mats. Yes, it means the first move is made by the side playing white/light pieces. The reason for it is very important - it allows players in the African countries seamless access to the huge knowledge base of Russian checkers, they can view games, read books, follow the analyses natively without constant conversions from one notation to another. The American Pool checkers was started on Straight checkers notation, its often an unwelcome chore to keep resetting white checkers with black checkers and covert from numeric to alphanumeric notation. I think it is a mis-service to African players to deny them direct access to game heritage, my students do very well in both Pool and Russian checkers because of the unified "white move first/chess notation" environment.