Bashni

Overview

Bashni (Towers), also called Column Checkers or Stolbovye Shashki, is a Russian variant of checkers/draughts with a unique tower mechanic. Instead of captured pieces being removed from the board, they are placed under the capturing piece, forming a column (tower). The tower belongs to whoever owns the top piece. This creates a dynamic where captured pieces can be freed and rejoin play, adding deep strategic complexity to the classic checkers formula.

Components

Standard 8x8 checkerboard (play on dark squares only)
12 light pieces and 12 dark pieces (standard checkers set)

Setup

Place the board with a dark square in each player’s lower-left corner.
Each player places 12 pieces on the dark squares of their nearest 3 rows (standard checkers starting position).
Determine who plays first (light traditionally moves first).

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns. On each turn, a player must either:

Move one of their pieces (or towers they control), OR
Capture an opponent’s piece if a capture is available (captures are mandatory).

Actions

Movement

Regular piece: Moves diagonally forward one square to an empty dark square.
King: Moves diagonally any number of squares in any direction (forward or backward), like a bishop in chess.
Tower: Moves according to whether its top piece is a regular piece or a king.

Promotion

When a regular piece reaches the opposite end of the board (the king row), it becomes a king. Kings can move and capture in any diagonal direction, any number of squares.

Capturing

Captures are mandatory. If you can capture, you must.
A piece captures by jumping diagonally over an adjacent enemy piece to the empty square beyond.
Key difference from standard checkers: The captured piece is NOT removed from the board. Instead, it is placed under the capturing piece, forming a tower.
Regular pieces can capture both forward and backward.
Kings can capture by jumping over an enemy piece at any distance along a diagonal, landing on any empty square beyond.
Multi-capture: If after a capture, another capture is available from the landing square, the player must continue capturing in the same turn.
When a tower captures, only the top piece of the captured tower is taken and placed under the capturing tower. The remaining pieces of the captured tower stay in place, and the top piece of the remaining stack now controls that tower.

Tower Mechanics

A tower belongs to the player who owns its topmost piece.
When a tower is captured, only the top piece is removed and placed under the captor’s piece/tower.
This means captured pieces can be “freed” – when the piece above them is itself captured, the next piece becomes the new top and may change the tower’s allegiance.
If multiple captures are available, the player may choose which to execute.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends when:

A player captures all of their opponent’s pieces (and controls all towers), OR
A player blocks their opponent so they cannot make any legal move.

That player wins. The other player loses.

Draws may be agreed upon by mutual consent or if neither player can force a win.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

Captures are obligatory; if you can capture, you must.
When multiple capture options exist, the player is free to choose which one to execute.
Within a chosen capture sequence, all available captures in that sequence must be completed.
A piece cannot jump the same piece twice in a single multi-capture sequence.
When a regular piece reaches the king row during a multi-capture, it is promoted to king and must continue capturing as a king if further captures are available.
The tower mechanic means the game state can shift dramatically – a well-placed capture can free many pieces at once.
Towers can grow very tall in theory, containing many pieces from both sides.

Player Reference

Movement Summary

Capture Summary

Jump over enemy piece diagonally
Captured piece goes UNDER capturing piece (forms tower)
Only top piece of a tower is captured
Multi-captures mandatory if available
Captures are compulsory

Win Conditions

Capture all opponent’s pieces/towers
Block opponent from moving