The rules also say you cannot move to a space previously occupied ????? so eventually they will reach the end of that 2nd row, and will HAVE to move into the final row

I'm talking about the second to last row, if you have two pieces left you can move a space, then move the other one a space, then you can move the first one right back to where it just was and keep doing that.

"If a pawn reaches the opposite side of the board (the last row), it cannot make any more moves and must stay there to the end of a game (unless it can jump, see next sections)"

i went and copied and pasted... That's why I don't think there is any "natural" draw... only an agreement between 2 people who don't want to see the game to completion..

but how can they go back and forth??? Don't the rules say that once in the last row, they can only move horizontally if there is a jump???

Yea, once I figured out that the true object of the game was to be the last one able to move, and not be the one who captures the most pieces - it took away from the game and personally do not find the game of Alquerque too much fun

You can have a draw if both players have two or more pieces on their own side and just keep going back and forth side to side

Why would there be a draw in this game? Maybe I'm just not thinking right now..

I'd say the statistic says nothing. It's a statistic from many "I'd like to try this one too" games. After I started to play alquerque I thought that it's an advantage to play Black. Definitely not! I suppose we all agree that Black can be glad if he/she can draw...

Any ideas about how to improve this game?
Seems very unbalanced to me... but the statistics here doesn't say that, I know... but the advanced players surely know what I'm refering... ;-)

Thanks for the info.

And actually how ratings work, especially before you get an established ratings, sometimes a win against a lower ranked player will make your rating go down (Mathimaticly) - but the system here is set up to not let your rating go down with a win.

Plus your rating may have went up. For example, the first time it might have been 1966.1, after the next win it might have been 1966.35, etc... etc...

So it is very possible that your rating will not move - and act very strange until you start getting many more games to get an established rating. :-)

If the players you're playing have close to the same ratings as each other, your rating very possibly could not change, considering a provisional rating is simply calculated by averageing your opponent's ratings (+400 for a win, -400 for a loss and no change for a draw). So even if your opponent's rating is very close to the current average of your opponent's ratings, it very possibly could not change your rating even by 1.

Is the ratings working right does anyone know... I started of in this game 4-0 and got a rating of 1966, I won 5 more games and now I'm 9-0 and it never changed the whole time and some of the players I beet were rated in the 14teens

thats right, it was the same for a few moves.
had to go new directions each time. This is a good thing because can reduce the chance of draws, but only if both players have same rule.

It has happened in other games of this also.
But assumed was both players, but this time we were talking about the game because was her first game, so she made me aware of Niki being able to do it.

Nothing to do with last line Kevin, that part of it is written in the rules anyway

thanks BBW

I think what Stevie is saying is it would not let him move his last move E4-D4 - forcing him to the last row to end the game

When you're on the last row, you can't move that pieces except to jump sideways (and then possibly more jumps after that - including backwards). On any other row you can move sideways or forwards.

I couldnt go back to where i previously was, but my oponent could multiple time.
is there something wrong?
Me white, she was black

Not a bug - You can't jump backwards on your first jump.

If it's part of a multiply jump, your 2nd jump on can be backwards, but the first must be forward or sidways.

http://brainking.com/game/ShowGame?g=447364

In my game with Cerebro from this position, BK won't allow me to make the mandatory capture. Instead, it forces me to make the move e2-d2.

Correct.

So to win is to be last to move. correct? (Does not matter how many pieces are captured)

So it is an disadvantage to quickly move your pieces to the other side of the board since they get "stuck".

I will make a smaller board soon :-)

Wow Fencer, you were not kidding about the boards being a little big. I feel sorry for those WebTV people (or anyone with small screens) - even on my big monitor at work which usually maked everything look small, this board is HUGH! :-)

When I heard about this game, I found This Site which also went through the rules, so I figure I would share it with all of you!